I dream of representing India at Olympics: Manush Shah

For city lad Manush Shah, it’s time for double celebrations. Not only has Manush made India proud by winning the silver medal (in cadet boys) at the recently concluded ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) 2016 India Junior and Cadet Open Table Tennis Championships, he has also been selected in the Indian sub-junior team for the 22nd Asian Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championship. Hours before leaving for Bangkok to represent India in the prestigious tournament, an elated Manush tells us, “This is a very big moment for me but there hasn’t been much time to celebrate, as I hardly got to spend any time in Vadodara after winning the medal at Indore.Still, I went out with some school friends and we had a good time.” Excerpts from a chat with the 15 year old TT sensation, who is jointly ranked number two in the junior boys’ category in India:
The ‘Silver’ Lining: Obviously, it would have felt much better had I won the gold medal but I look at it positively. In fact, although I have won six international medals before this (two gold, four bronze medals), this is my first silver medal in an international competition. So, this will remain very special.
Representing India: It’s always a great joy to play for India and this will be the eighth time when I will be representing my country on the global stage. The pride that a sportsperson feels while playing for his country can never be described in words and I dream of representing India at the 2020 Olympics. Usually, I travel with the team whenever I go abroad and I have made some very good friends. Only once, my father had accompanied me during an international championship in Poland.
A Special Cupboard for Trophies: Apart from the international medals, I have won several titles at the national tournaments and I have a separate cupboard at home to keep all the trophies and medals. But my best is yet to come.
Started playing TT Just Five Years Ago: When I was 10 years old, we went for a family vacation at a hill station. There, I played TT with dad just for fun and got interested in the sport. My dad felt that I had good potential and I started training to become a professional player. Soon, I started getting selected to the state team and there has been no looking back. I am indebted to my coach Shailesh Gosain, who has played a key role in improving my game. I am a big fan of Xu Xin (Chinese TT star) and keep watching his videos to learn new skills. He is my role model because like me, he is a left-handed player.
Managing Studies: I am in class X and have my board exams early next year. At times, it gets very challenging to manage studies but my school (Navrachana School, Sama) has been really supportive and flexible with everything. I will have a couple of months off in between and will study hard during that phase to prepare for my board exams.
Music Addict: Listening to good songs is my biggest stress buster. I am a huge fan of Arijit Singh.