Excerpts:
How long have you been playing table tennis?
I’ve been playing table tennis for six years which means I’ve been playing since I was in the sixth grade.
How old are you and what are you doing these days besides playing table tennis?
I’m 18 years old and I’ve just completed my 12th standard exams from Guinness Higher Secondary School in Bhaktapur.
Who inspired you to play table tennis?
My family always encouraged me to play games and they supported me while I chose table tennis. My first coach Rita Prajapati also had a hand in my sports career as she inspired me to take up table tennis.
Where did you learn table tennis?
I learnt table tennis in school while I was studying at Everest English School in Byasi, Bhaktapur. But after completing my school, I started practicing table tennis at the Bhaktapur Municipality office where we usually learn under the guidance of local coach Indra Bhakta Panta.
Have you received formal training from national coaches?
We were fortunate to get an opportunity to learn from ANTTA Coach Mohan Das Basukala a few years ago. But besides that, we learn table tennis by ourselves. I usually practice with my training partner Krishna Thapa Magar.
We were also lucky to get a chance to play with former national champion Shiva Sundar Gothe who is also from Bhaktapur.
How did you manage to win three bronze medals in South Asia?
I got more playing time while I was studying +2. Also, playing against a senior player like Shiva Sundar Gothe helped me learn a lot about table tennis.
I also had a feeling that I had to win something for the country at any cost after reaching India and my strong mentality paid off.
Is this your first success at international level? What other tournaments have you played?
This is the first time I won medal at the international level. But it was in my third outing that I achieved the feat. Earlier, I had participated in the Indian Junior and Cadet Open Table Tennis Championship in Indore, India, about three years ago. I also participated in the Bongabondhu Invitational Table Tennis Championship in Dhaka, Bangladesh, about a year ago.
I’ve competed in lots of national tournaments, including the Sixth National Games in Dhangadhi where I finished third in the team event representing the Central Region. I also competed in the 33rd National Table Tennis Tournament in Biratnagar, winning silver in the cadet section.
What’s the difference in playing in Nepal and at the international level?
The environment is entirely different at the international level. I noticed in India that players dedicate their entire life for sports. All they have to do is to play games. They focus only on sports. But here, we have to think about our career and we also have to give a lot of time to our studies. That’s the difference. Here we also don’t have proper facilities and that affects our game.
How was your experience?
I was able to gain more knowledge about the game which I believe will help me in mastering the sport in the future.
What are your future plans?
I’m looking forward to studying engineering in Nepal. I’ll continue playing table tennis. Nepal’s table tennis officials have asked me to train at the national table tennis training centre in Lainchaur. Let’s see. If I get time, I shall train there.
By Neeraj Chandra Roy
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