Table Tennis legend Sharath Kamal to call time on glorious career

Chennai: India table tennis legend A Sharath Kamal on Wednesday announced that the WTT Contender Chennai later this month will be his last tournament as a professional athlete, capping off an illustrious career spanning well over two decades.

The WTT (World Table Tennis) event will be played here from March 25 to 30.

"I played my first international tournament in Chennai, I will be playing my last international also in Chennai. This will be my last tournament as a professional athlete," said the 42-year-old here.

Sharath has won as many six gold medals in the Commonwealth Games and he would rate them at par with the two Asian Games bronze medals he secured later in his career.

He took part in his fifth and final Olympics in Paris last year.

"I have Commonwealth Games medals and Asian Games medals. Olympic medal is something I don't have in my cupboard.

"I hope I can live that dream through the younger talent coming," said the world number 42, who is still the highest ranked Indian in the ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) standings.