In what could possibly be his final chance to prepare for the Tokyo Olympics, G. Sathiyan, India’s second highest-ranked paddler in the world (38), will train with 22-year-old Anirban Ghosh from April 23 to July 11 at the Raman High Performance TT Centre here.
All the expenses for the training, including Anirabn’s travel, food, and accommodation, will be taken care of by Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).
Anirban, who was part of Chennai Lions in the UTT League in 2019, said Sathiyan, “is a sincere and all-round player. He is talented, young and can play with me for long hours.”
Since he has no international commitments till the Olympics, Sathiyan will be based here as he considers his city a lucky charm because he has always done well in tournaments abroad when he has flown out from Chennai.
“I feel this is the right preparation before Olympics. I’ve always played well when I went out of Chennai [for tournaments]. Be it the World Cup (2019), senior Nationals & Olympic Qualifiers (both 2021),” said Sathiyan. He added that with his coach S. Raman guiding him, and backed by home food, he is in the right frame of mind to perform well.
