by Simon Daish

Established in 1954 the Padma awards are presented by the president of India to civilians who have shown “distinguished and exceptional achievements.”

Sharath Kamal Achanta was the recipient of a Padma Shri award for “distinguished service,” and looking back over the years it’s easy to see why the athlete has been honoured.

The first Indian player to lift a Men’s Singles trophy on the ITTF World Tour, a nine-time Indian National Champion and the winner of the Men’s Singles gold medal at the 2004 Commonwealth Games, Achanta will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the country’s finest athletes.

At the 2018 Commonwealth Games Achanta added three medals to his collection including a gold in the Men’s Team event – India emerged as the most successful nation across the different table tennis categories at last year’s Games, picking up eight medals in total!

Speaking to The Times of India, Achanta said he was delighted to finally add the Padma award to his list of accolades:

“It feels great to get this recognition, especially when you look at others who have been named for Padma Shri. After two failed attempts, I was not sure if I would get this time but considering the year we have had, anything was possible.” Sharath Kamal Achanta

The ITTF would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Sharath Kamal Achanta on receiving the prestigious award.

Source: Ultimate Table Tennis