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Achanta Sharath Kamal strolled into the record books when he won the gold medal in the table tennis men's singles event at the Commonwealth Games 2022 (CWG 2022) in Birmingham on Monday (August 8).
Sharath Kamal outsmarted England’s Liam Pitchford 4-1 (11-13, 11-7, 11-2, 11-6, 11-8) to win the men's singles title after a gap of 16 years.
The flag bearer of Indian table tennis won his fourth medal at CWG 2022. He has won seven gold medals and 13 overall medals in the history of the Commonwealth Games. His first gold medal in the men's singles came in the 2006 edition in Melbourne.
In the ongoing edition, Sharath Kamal won the gold medal in the men's singles, mixed doubles (partnering Sreeja Akula) and the team event while winning the silver medal in the men's doubles (partnering Sathiyan Gnanasekaran).
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Sharath Kamal led from the front like a true leader. From taking charge as a senior pro in team events to mentoring and playing with young star Sreeja Akula, he has done it all at CWG 22.
Achanta Sharath Kamal bossed the final after losing first game
Achanta Sharath Kamal started on a horrid note, losing the first game on extended points but did well to bounce back in the next four to win the contest.
The first game was evenly contested, with both the players not giving an inch to the other to stage a comeback. A couple of unforced errors from Sharath, combined with Pitchford's excellent placement skills, meant the Indian had to concede the first game.
In the second game, Sharath read Pitchford's strategy well and went on to trounce the Englishman.
The next three games were mostly one-way traffic as Sharath Kamal called the shots. He took an early lead and extended the game well beyond Pitchford's reach.
The England paddler offered some resistance in the final game but only managed to delay the inevitable.
