CHENNAI: THE memories from 2023 still brings a wide smile to paddler Sutirtha Mukherjee. She, along with Ayhika Mukherjee, were part of a historic run to the bronze medal in the women’s doubles event at Hangzhou, which involved beating then World No 2 pair and former champions Chen Meng and Wang Yidi 3-1 in the quarterfinals.
Years on, Sutirtha’s zeal remains the same. Recently, her contribution helped Dabang Delhi TT qualify for the semifinals of Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) for the seventh consecutive time, a record in the league. While they may have fallen short in the semi-finals to favourites Dempo Goa Challengers, Sutirtha is prepared for tournaments scheduled for the rest of the year. After the conclusion of UTT, The Kolkata paddler will take part in the Commonwealth Championships in New Delhi. “After the championships, I will use a Railways tournament and the WTT Almaty Star Contenders event to prepare for the Asian Games,” she said in an interaction before Delhi’s semifinal match.
Born in Naihati, situated in the outskirts of Kolkata, Sutirtha’s beginnings as a paddler was not easy. “I grew up in a place where the mindsets of people were conservative with regards to women in sport. However, my parents, especially my mother Neeta supported me in my journey,” she added.
From those long and tiring round-trips from Kolkata to her home, Sutirtha’s mother was the only source of motivation. She remains her rock to this day. “Without her support, I would have never been able to reach here. She used to drop me home and take me to Kolkata. To this day, my mother would travel with me to the tournaments.
"Even when I’m down on form or down with injuries, my mother would give me outside support, while my coach Soumyadeep Roy helps me with all the technicalities,” she said.
As she continues her journey in defending the bronze medal, Sutirtha has all the support on her side. While she may not have Ayhika Mukherjee on her side, the paddler hopes to give it all in Japan later this year.