Sports psychologist has been of immense help, says paddler Harmeet
The Hindu
CWG gold medallist Harmeet Desai explains how Gayatri Vartak’s involvement in the set-up has helped India retain its first table tennis gold
Less than a year since tying the knot with fellow paddler Krittwika Sinha-Roy and joining the long list of table tennis couples in India, Harmeet Desai proved in Birmingham on Tuesday that the wedding bells have been far from being a distraction.
Harmeet played a pivotal role in India trouncing Singapore 3-1 in the table tennis team championship of the Commonwealth Games and retain its gold medal from Gold Coast. It was the first time India successfully defended a table tennis gold medal at the Friendly Games.
In a chat with The Hindu from Birmingham, Harmeet elaborated on the achievement, the preparation, how sports psychologist Gayatri Vartak’s involvement in the set-up has helped him over the last few months and how Krittwika was more confident of him winning the gold than himself.
Excerpts:
What does playing a crucial role in defending the gold mean to you personally?
It means a lot to have played such a good match at such an important time. Definitely this time, the pressure was much more than the last time because we were the defending champions and India had never defended a gold in Commonwealth Games table tennis, so it was much more pressure. But I was prepared for it. I was ready to play the fourth singles. The doubles helped me a lot. We started off well, I was in good flow and in the doubles itself I felt I was moving really well. I could continue it in the singles and it turned out to be really good.
What did the four of you discuss in the first team meeting in Birmingham?
Asian Games champion Avinash Sable opened his season in the 3000m steeple chase with a silver in the Portland Track Festival, a World Athletics Continental Tour bronze event, in Oregon on Saturday. He clocked 8:21.85s. Asian champion Parul Chaudhary took the bronze in the women’s 3000m steeple chase in a season-best 9:31.38s. Former Asian bronze medallist Sanjivani Jadhav struck gold in the women’s 10,000m in 32:22.77s, a time which was a second off her personal best, while Seema was sixth in 32:55.91s.