Posted on: Posted Date – 11:26 PM, Wed – 11/16/22
Hyderabad: Hyderabad table tennis player Akula Sreeja couldn’t ask for better results this year. Became the first person from a Telugu-speaking nation to win its first women’s national title, and then the first Indian mixed team (with Achanta Sharath Kamal) to win gold at the recent Commonwealth Games, when she won the title, her Joy doubles the award of Arjuna.
The 24-year-old defending national champion was ecstatic and said winning the award was her dream. “I never thought I would win the Arjuna Award. But it was my dream. It is a big honor for me and I want to dedicate it to my coach (Somanth Ghosh) and parents without them It wouldn’t be possible to have all of this,” she said.
She further felt that honor was a great motivator. “It’s definitely a big motivation. It’s been the best year of my career so far. Winning the National Championship, the CWG Mixed Team Gold and now the Arjuna Award, it’s been fantastic. Next year is going to be very busy One year, there are TT Nationals, international events and the Asian Games. So this award motivates me to work harder in the new year,” she added.
She also thanked Sharath Kamal for the award. “A big thank you to Sharath Kamal anna too. I got this award because of him and also because we went to commonwealth games together and won gold. I am happy for him and Khel Ratna for him, the biggest in sports Kudos. He’s a dedicated player and a very hard worker. He deserves it,” she said.
The RBI assistant manager further revealed that her goal next year is to do well at the World Championships and improve her international rankings. “The next big event is the World Championships in May next year. There are some international competitions before that. My goal is to improve my world ranking. I want to be in the top 60 and then try to be in the top 50,” said the said the athlete, currently ranked 76th in the world.
Sreeja said earlier that the CWG gold has really changed her life and more and more people are getting to know her, adding that she now wants to focus on her training. “This year is very busy, very busy. I have back-to-back competitions and the National Games. So it’s a lot of traveling and I can’t focus on my training. So now I’m focusing on training and getting better,” she revealed.
