Arjuna for Olympian paddler - Third awardee from Siliguri

BIRESWAR BANERJEE, TT, Siliguri, Aug. 22: Table tennis player Soumyajit Ghosh who represented the country at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro is set to receive the Arjuna Award this year.

The paddler will be the third from Siliguri, after Mantu Ghosh and Subhajit Saha, to get the award.

"I received an email from the Union ministry of youth affairs and sports where it was mentioned that I would receive the award later this month," Soumyajit said over the phone from Calcutta this evening.

"I am feeling honoured because they thought I am worthy of receiving the Arjuna Award. I am 23 now and I want to play more for my country. I consider such awards a big motivation and this will encourage me to play better," the paddler added.

Soumyajit and 14 other sportspersons from across the country will receive the award from President Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on August 29.

At Rio, Soumyajit lost in the men's single main rounds.

He had represented the national table tennis team in the London Olympics, 2012.

"His dedication and sincerity has brought him the award. He has played well in the past couple of years and was part of the national team in two consecutive Olympics, which in itself is a big achievement for a paddler," said Mantu Ghosh, who received the Arjuna award in 2002. "He is young and I hope he will continue to play for our national team for several years."

Subhajit Saha got the award in 2006.

Soumyajit said he would visit Siliguri on August 30 after the award programme and then leave for Germany.

"In the first week of September, I will leave for Stuttgart in Germany for an advance training under coach Michel Blondel. There are few national championships this year and I will try to perform well. I am eyeing the Commonwealth Games that is scheduled to be held in Australia in 2018. I will focus on that," Soumyajit said.

He added that the training in Germany would be for a year.