In the picture above are the flag bearers of the Indian contingent at the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024, India’s star shuttler P V Sindhu and table tennis veteran Achanta Sharath Kamal. They held the Indian National Flag and proudly walked into the arena of the Paris Olympics, at the Opening Ceremony alongside the river Seine. Dressed in the ceremonial attire designed by Tarun Tahiliani, the two complemented their outfits with wristwatches that didn’t go unnoticed. For Sindhu, it was the Chopard Happy Diamonds, and for Kamal, it was a Victorinox.
Kamal has been honoured with the prestigious Khel Ratna, Padma Shri and Arjuna awards for his contribution in India’s table tennis. He has won multiple medals in Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, he is a ten times National Champion; this is his 5th participation in the Olympic Games. After his first match in the ‘Singles’ category, Kamal will be playing in ‘Men's Team’ category against China on August 6, which is a first-ever team participation for India in Table Tennis. “In the 5th olympics there is something new for me, which was the qualification in the ‘Team’. The other four times I only played Singles and in the Tokyo Olympics I played Doubles. This is the first time we have qualified for the Team, and we have always done well as a team in the last seven to eight years, so I am pretty sure that we will do well and hopefully get into the medal round. You never know, even if we make it to the quarterfinals of the Olympic Games, it will be something very, very big for India. So I am looking forward to that,” says Kamal.
It was in the last four to five years that Kamal got into the world of fine watches. It came from a German team-mate who himself has been an ardent watch lover, and with whom Kamal saw an entirely new world. He owns an Omega and a Tudor, and in his words, “he still doesn’t have a Rolex”. It is the Omega that he cherishes the most, the James Bond special edition Seamaster Diver 300M featured in the movie Casino Royale. He wears this one for special occasions such as award functions and special gatherings. Reflecting on his love for this timepiece, Kamal said, “From a very young age, James Bond has been someone whom I always looked up to. I used to wait for his movies, and he always had that Omega. So that is the first image that I have had.”
But it was his Victorinox, that he chose for a more special day being the flagbearer for the Indian team at the Olympics. He wears it often. For him, it is a multi-utility watch that he can put on for sports, or dress with casuals, or complement his outfit on different occasions.
Watches mean something to him, it is a part of his daily life, without which he feels naked or odd. “A watch is something I have always had on my hand ever since I was in school, and there were a very few times when I have taken my watch off. I always like to have a watch,” he says. Then there’s the Garmin smartwatch that he chooses for fitness activities. It is a tool for him to keep track of his heart rate or sleep hours.
He is getting to discuss a lot more on watches now and getting to know more on the higher spectrum of timepieces. But he chooses what fits his personality well. “For me, it’s about how a watch suits me, my personality, my skin colour, and how I am able to carry it off. I don't want to carry something that doesn't suit me, or which doesn't feel within my character. It’s also about the clothes you wear or the way you carry yourself. I can't carry a watch with a leather strap, I would always prefer a bracelet,” he says. He would like to have a Breitling next, and while he has a Seamaster, he would also like to have a Speedmaster, specifically an iteration of the one which went on the moon.
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As an athlete and even personally, time means everything for Kamal. “It's more important than money, or anything else in this whole world, because time is something you can't get back. And balancing time between your personal and professional life. Making time with family, it's more important, it is what makes the positive memories in your life. So when you look back at time, you should be able to feel, ‘wow I did that’, you should not have regrets,” he says. “Everyone has 24 hours and you see successful people make the most of it, and that's why they are successful.”
His aspirations for his next match call for at least the quarterfinals. “Once you are into the quarterfinals, it’s anybody’s game on that particular day if you are able to get the best out of you. Because everybody is under a lot of pressure, and for us it will be the first olympic games as a team. We don't have any pressure as such where we have to do it a certain way, we haven't set any benchmarks, and that is to give a clear headspace. So to start with I want to get into the quarterfinals and from there see how we can go further.”
As of now, Kamal only wishes to have one thing, the Olympic medal. “If you look at my career, I had a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, 2 bronze medals in the Asian Games which was the first time in 60 years, but there was one thing missing, the Olympic medal. I hope I will be able to fulfil that part too this time. To win an olympic medal for the country, that is the biggest pride for an athlete and I hope I will be able to do it this time.”
Images: Instagram/Sharath Kamal
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