Arjuna Award a big motivation, says Hyderabad paddler Sreeja

Hyderabad: Hyderabad table tennis player Akula Sreeja could not have asked for a better finish to the year. Having become the first from the Telugu speaking States to clinch the maiden women’s national title and then becoming the first Indian mixed team (with Achanta Sharath Kamal) to win gold at the Commonwealth Games recently, the […]

Hyderabad: Hyderabad table tennis player Akula Sreeja could not have asked for a better finish to the year. Having become the first from the Telugu speaking States to clinch the maiden women’s national title and then becoming the first Indian mixed team (with Achanta Sharath Kamal) to win gold at the Commonwealth Games recently, the joy for her doubled when she was honoured with the Arjuna Award.

The 24-year-old reigning national champion is over the moon with the recognition and said that it was her dream to win the award. “I never expect to win the Arjuna award. But it was my dream. This is a big honour for me and I want to dedicate it to my coach (Somanth Ghosh) and parents without whom this would not have been possible,” she said.

She further felt that the honour is a big motivation. “Definitely it is a big motivation. This has been the best year in my career so far. Winning the national championship, CWG mixed team gold and now Arjuna award, it has been fantastic. The next year is a very hectic one with TT Nationals, international events and Asian Games. So this award motivates me to work harder for the new year,” she added.

She also thanked Sharath Kamal for the award. “A big thank you to Sharath Kamal anna as well. I got this award because of him as well as we played together in the Commonwealth Games and won the gold. I am very happy for him as well as he got Khel Ratna which is the biggest honour in sports. He is a dedicated player and a very hard worker. He deserves it,” she said.

The assistant manager of the Reserve Bank of India further revealed that her aim in the next year is to do well in the World Championship and improve her international ranking. “The next big event is the World Championship which will be held in May next year. Before that there are a few international tournaments. My aim is to improve my world ranking. I want to enter into the Top 60 and then work towards achieving top 50,” said the athlete who is currently ranked 76 in the world.

Sreeja, who earlier said that the CWG gold did change her life and more people started recognizing her, added that she wants to focus on her training now. “This year was hectic, very hectic. I had back to back tournaments and National Games. So It was a lot of travelling and I could not focus much on my training. So I am right now focused on training and becoming better,” she revealed.