NEW DELHI: Harmeet Desai’s WhatsApp status reads: Apna time agaya (My time has come), an apt description of the paddler’s recent good fortune which saw him win the prestigious Arjuna Award on Saturday.
His brilliant run of form started in July’s Commonwealth Championships. He first rescued the Indian team in the finals against England when the hosts were trailing 0-2. He then went on to annex the singles crown at the same competition. Just a day after his name was confirmed for the national award, the 26-year-old clinched the South Zone nationals crown. It was made all the more sweeter as the national-ranking title (SZ) came after three years.
“Winning the Arjuna Award was my father’s dream. When he got to know, he became very emotional. It feels good to see your hard work getting recognised by the government,” he told this daily from Olomouc, Czech Republic where he is currently participating in the Czech Open. He has already won his preliminary Round 1 match there.
This is the third time his name was proposed by the Table Tennis Federation of India for the award. And the Commonwealth Games gold medallist was confident that this would be his year. “I was fairly confident especially considering last year’s CWG and Asian Games medals. I don’t hanker for awards but this one feels really special.”
Once World No 60, the paddler from Surat suffered a blip in form which saw his ranking plummet to 127, his lowest in three years. But things finally seem to be clicking. “Ups and downs are part and parcel of a sportsperson’s career. A few results have not gone my way. I have continued to work hard and recent results are proof that I’m headed in the right direction. I have not changed anything as such. I feel if you keep giving your best, eventually things will fall into place.”
Harmeet’s full focus is now on entering the top-100 again while also making it to the Indian team for the Tokyo Olympics. He is currently World No 112. “Rankings are not always a true indicator but if you are placed higher, you get easier draws. Representing the country is the highest honour one can experience and I want to ensure I play in Tokyo.”
Without a coach, it has not been smooth sailing for India’s paddlers. Singles may not be too much of an issue as most have personal coaches, doubles and mixed doubles require expert guidance. “I do not even have a personal coach (laughs). We do need a bit of guidance and it would help us greatly as it is so close to the Olympics. But our job is to make do with what we have and we have to keep pushing ourselves,” he signed off.