JOIN USDuring their three-week training-cum-competition trip, the 21-member contingent will first participate in the ‘Harmony 2010 China Open’, starting Aug 18 at Suzhou, and then spend a month at Zhengding province to train ahead of the October 3-14 Delhi Games.
The Indian squad comprises of nine men, eight women, two coaches, one supporting staff and one umpire. Sharath, currently world ranked 39th and first Indian to break into top-50, said the exposure trip will hold the players in good stead in this year’s Delhi Games and Asian Games.
“This trip is very important keeping Commonwealth Games in mind. The trip is planned in such a way that we peak at the right time and defend our respective titles,” said the Arjuna awardee.
“Training in China is always a good experience. It helps the players a lot. In China we get the opportunity to play against a number of quality players, which improve our skills.
“We are training hard and even second string Chinese side is equally good. So we will definitely gain from the camp,” he added.
“We have trained in China on three occasions in the last few months and that will certainly help us in the Commonwealth Games. The trips will also help us in the Asian Games to be held in Guangzhou, China in November,” said Sharath.
Improvement
Sharath said his performance has improved a lot after undergoing trainings in China and Europe. “My performance has improved a lot in the recent past. For example, the training seasons in China and Europe have improved my speed and that have played important role in my recent success.
“I played in Europe and worked hard to overcome my short comings,” said the lanky paddler.Meanwhile, TTFI announced a cash reward for Indian paddlers who win medals at the Commonwealth Games.
“In singles event, federation will give Rs three lakh for gold medal, two lakh for silver and one lakh for bronze. In the Team event, Rs one lakh for gold, 75,000 for silver and 50,000 for bronze,” said TTFI General Secretary Dhanraj Choudhary.