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Express News Service
CHENNAI: Getting the attention of a top-tier player in any sport is an athlete’s dream, and for 12-year-old Nikkhil Menon, a 7th-grade student at Anna Nagar SBOA School and Junior College, that dream came true. sooner than he had expected.
The current U-12 cadet national champion has received praise from India’s best paddler Sharath Kamal, who believes the youngster will grow into one of the best players.
It wasn’t until three years ago that Nikkhil enrolled in a summer camp and started playing table tennis.
In Chennai, the structure of participating in a table tennis tournament is such that a player is allowed to play multiple matches while practicing during club training. In addition, numerous inter-club tournaments help players prepare for state meetings and citizens.
“In 2018, I enrolled him at a table tennis camp during the summer holidays. Just two months after coaching, head coach Rajagopal recognized his ability and felt he had the potential to climb the ladder. He wanted my son to play in state tournaments in the mini-cadet class (under 10) that year to play in the cadet class the following year. Nikkhil did well in the mini cadet and placed 7th, ”says Divaji Prabhakar, father.
Nikkhil’s turning point came when he joined the SDAT-AKG Table Tennis Center at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in 2019 and began training under the leadership of renowned Rao brothers, Srinivasa and Muralidhara. They have trained players since the early 1980s, and in 35 years they have produced three Olympics, three Arjuna award winners, six national champions and several internationally acclaimed players.
“Nikkhil was very talented at his age. He was a quick learner and paid attention to detail. In a very short time, he started playing in cadet events and started winning and bagged the national U-12 cadet crown, ”says Srinivasa Rao.
Nikkhil believes that systematic training and fitness have helped him succeed at all levels. Even during the lock, he used a robot to keep in touch with the game.
“I train for about six hours a day. My day starts at 6 and I have three hours of practice. Then again from 3pm to 6pm, I have another practice. During locking, I train with a robot at home for five hours a day. I also go to online fitness classes and practice yoga to stay fit, ”says Nikkhil, who idolizes Sharath Kamal and hopes to get a versatile game like Olympia.
“I am eager to move to the next level and succeed well. My strength is that I can stay calm and be good at calm pressures in a match. I need to work to increase the speed of my leg movements. My school (management) and teachers have been very happy. I am very good at academics. I also play the keyboard pretty well, ”Nikkhil says.
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