Sharath Kamal’s final lap forged in sweat and science

Sharath Kamal breaks into a hearty laugh when reminded of his wild celebratory run after winning his tenth singles national championship title in Shillong earlier this week. It was another testament to Sharath’s longevity, besides reaffirming his stature as India’s most prolific paddler—Kamlesh Mehta is next on the list with eight trophies.

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“Oh man, I was really excited. It was a special feeling. It was an intense match and that celebration was a release of all the pent-up tension and aggression,” he says of his seven-game win over G Sathiyan after trailing 1-3.

It’s been two decades since a teenaged Sharath broke into the national team, and two months shy of turning 40, the fire still burns. “I am not sure what motivates me anymore. I no longer crave results. There is a part of me that tells me to set an example for the youngsters. There’s a part that wants me to do well for my fans. It’s a personal pursuit that’s not really individual.”

The philosophical side is perhaps a function of the wisdom that comes with nearly being in your fifth decade but sieve the romance from the sporting toil, and the journey can be put down to one word. “Torture.”

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“That’s what professional sport is. It injures you physically, scars you mentally. And yet, you have to get up every morning and train for the torture,” says Sharath.

Interest in sports science

It’s not a loose assessment. For an athlete to last this long and put their body through the wringer takes a special drive and the ability to maintain peak fitness for extended periods. It helped that Sharath was always inclined towards fitness, and post his career-threatening hamstring tear in 2015, his interest in sports science has grown manifold.

“I understand much more about body functioning after that injury. I know which parts I need to work on, the kinetic change needed, the range of motion required...all that knowledge has got better with time. If I tell my trainers I need to stay in a squatting position with a better centre of gravity, they know exactly what to do. I know it takes 6-8 weeks for my body and mind to start showing positive changes, and almost three months to start peaking, so the trainer can devise a plan accordingly,” he says.

Sharath’s granular understanding of fitness protocols and sports science means, besides being able to control the tempo of his training, he is in a better position to avoid niggles and burnout.

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“He is a trainer’s dream. He understands the concepts so well, and is extremely specific in his feedback, which makes my job a lot easier,” says Ramji Srinivasan, Sharath’s strength and conditioning coach.

Sharath and Srinivasan go back a decade but the duo really started collaborating post-2015. “Training a tiring, slowing body for elite performance is not easy. State-of-the-art scientific training needs to be individualised for tangible results,” says Srinivasan.

The immediate goal was to send Sharath to the Rio Olympics before the focus shifted to Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games (2018). Post Tokyo Olympics (2021), Sharath’s training regimen is being tailored for three-month goals to ensure he is not overworked, says Venkatesh Kumar, his physiotherapist.

“It helps that barring the hamstring issue, he really had no injury history. Also, the fact that Sharath reads his body so well is an asset. He is able to point to the exact game in a match when a particular muscle begins troubling him. You don’t find such aware athletes,” says Kumar.

Still, the biological curve from early to late thirties is steep. Kumar notes a spike in Sharath’s upper body niggles and occasional discomfort in lower back, while Ramji attests to reduced muscle mass and longer recovery time.

“The body is bound to change,” says Sharath. “In my 20s, I had no concept of warm-ups. I woke up ready, the body felt great, maybe a few stretches, and I was ready to push. Now, if I have a three-hour training session, half of it is reserved for warm-ups and cool-downs.”

Same is the case with diet. With the metabolism slowing down and the ability of body to lose fat and build muscle diminishing, discipline becomes key to ideal body composition.

“The problem is, while the metabolism slows down, the appetite remains the same. So, you really need to watch what you eat. The cheat days have drastically reduced. There are very few late-night parties, and I make sure the gym session after a cheat meal is intense. In terms of my game, the stress levels have remained the same, but my ability to perform under stress has gone up. It all comes with experience,” says Sharath.

‘Fittest in his age group’

Sharath still maintains a fat percentage of 10-11 per cent, runs 5km under 20 minutes, does 5-minute plank holds, and dishes out 35 push-ups in a set. Ramji insists he is India’s fittest athlete “in his age group.”

“Look, when you approach 40, there are a lot of hormonal changes that happen. The production of adrenaline, cortisone, oxytocin, and serotonin goes down. The testosterone levels dip, which means muscle building and muscle retention become tougher. The kind of fitness Sharath has achieved at his age is truly commendable,” explains Ramji.

For the world No. 38, who plans to continue till Paris Olympics before taking a call on his career, the grind is worth it. “I’d be lying if I said the mental toll of such a long career is not real, but ultimately, this is what makes me happy. I am a satisfied man who can look in the mirror and be proud of himself,” Sharath says.

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