Amal on cloud nine after dethroning undisputed Sharath

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On a day when the sporting world witnessed Novak Djokovic break into a ‘wild’ celebration after his marathon triumph over Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final, a select audience at Lucknow in India also saw robust merriment unleashed by a certain paddler — A. Amalraj. Though the achievements of the two can’t be compared by any yardstick, the exuberance exhibited in Australia and the UP capital is similar.

Amalraj, after all, had dethroned the undisputed king of Indian table tennis, Achanta Sharath Kamal, to win his maiden national title. In the final, Amalraj prevailed 11-8, 11-8, 12-10, 911, 7-11, 11-8 to end Sharath’s five-year stranglehold on the crown.

After nailing the title, Amalraj sprang to the top of the table and threw his racquet even as he soaked in the moment. The 25-year old then ran around the arena with a clenched fist above his head, yelling, “I am the national champion.” S. Raman, Amalraj’s coach, hasn’t seen a more passionate celebration. “Amal was unstoppable. In fact, for a moment his demeanour resembled that of the indomitable Muhammad Ali,” said Raman.

Amal’s actions were out of pure excitement. Yet, the Table Tennis Federation of India docked his match fee by 25% (approximately Rs 50,000 of the Rs 2.1 lakh prize money) for his behaviour.
Emotions are an integral part of sports. Without unbridled celebrations, sports becomes a mere exercise and nothing more.

“It was the spur of the moment that made Amal do what he did. He never intended to hurt anybody’s feelings. As for his fee cut, one of the TTFI official has informed me that they might consider revoking the penalty,” added Raman.

Amal, who landed in Chennai to rapturous greetings, is not ready to stop now. “This is one of my biggest victories. Everyone knows Sharath’s calibre. I am delighted to have defeated such a tough opponent for my first national title. I am leaving to Germany for training on Thursday. My goal now is to improve my world ranking,” said the PSPB employee.

When asked if he regretted his post-match actions, the Chennai lad replied: “I had just fulfilled my dream of winning the nationals and I had to let my bottled emotions out. I did not do it intentionally. I am not too worried about losing the money. For me, all that mattered was the title.” The Tamil Nadu Table Tennis Federation is planning to felicitate Amalraj before he departs for Germany.