CHENNAI: During the All India Inter-Institutional Championships in Coimbatore, India’s top paddlers were practising on the centre table. Whenever someone was missing, the next player was taking his place. But Manav Thakkar was proving to be difficult to dislodge from one end of the table. Grunt after grunt, the ball kept flying back. The 18-year-old paddler was a picture of concentration. This year will be the last time the Surat lad plays in the junior circuit.
The current junior World No 5 has three major assignments in his pipeline. First up is Asian Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championship in Nay Pyi Taw (Myanmar), from August 13 to 18. From there, he will join up with the Asian Games squad in Jakarta, and then head for the Youth Olympic Games in October. While the rest of the Asian Games squad has flown to China for a preparatory camp, Thakkar is currently on the way to PSPB Academy in Ajmer.
The junior team will then leave the country on August 11, along with coach Soumyadeep Roy. “I really wanted to attend the China camp, but this is an important tournament for us. Doing well here will be the perfect way to prepare for Asian Games. All the best Asian juniors will come for the meet, and it will be quite a challenge,” said Thakkar. His calendar is nowadays packed with both senior and junior events. And fitness has taken on added importance.
“Massimo (Costantini) made me realise the importance of staying fit. I do a lot of cardio nowadays to increase my stamina. Being a bit on the lighter side, I know I need to improve my physical fitness and add muscle. I have changed my diet for doing that.” Thakkar will have to play only senior meets from next year, and the youngster feels that the transition is more mental than anything else. He has even taken advice from psychologists as well as all senior members of the team.
“The group is amazing. They treat me really well, constantly pushing me to do better. I can approach all of them for advice any time.”
Ayantan@newindianexpress.com
U-18 teams: Boys: Manav Thakkar, Manush Shah, Jeet Chandra, SFR Snehit. Girls: Archana Girish Kamath, Selena Selvakumar, Prapti Sen, S Yashini.