Sharath Kamal opens up on anxiety before Olympics opening ceremony

"HOW do I fix my hair?" "Do I have to iron my ceremonial dress?" "How do I hold the flag?" "Which way do I look to face the cameras?" "What will happen if I fall into the Seine, will I be able to swim?" These were some of the questions that kept A Sharath Kamal up the night before the Opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.

- SWAROOP SWAMINATHAN

These were some of the questions that kept A Sharath Kamal up the night before the Opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. It was, in theory, going to be the ultimate recognition of the 20+ years of Sharath's ceiling-shattering career. Yet, the 42-year-old, no stranger to the bright lights of the Opening Ceremony during the Olympics, was overcome with 'excitement but also anxiety because of the small things', he tells this daily on the sidelines of the ongoing Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT)event in Chennai. The anxiety levels ratcheted up a few levels when "lots of international journalists asked me if you knew how to swim because what if you fall off the boat?' And I was like, 'it's not going to be that dangerous, no?""

This excitement and anxiety, Sharath says, contributed somewhat to the first-round loss in the singles event. "Focus on the singles match wavered a little bit because it was close (to the OC). I wasn't able to balance both..."