Dealing with the loss of a parent dwarfs just about every other challenge in life, says India's top-ranked table tennis player G Sathiyan, who feels he is a stronger and hungrier person going into next month's Commonwealth Games after coping with the death of his father last year.
The 25-year-old, who shot to fame by becoming the second Indian to win an ITTF event, the Belgium Open in 2016, is a strong medal hope in the Gold Coast Games starting April 4.
"I couldn't participate in Rio as I had to play one tournament but my father passed away at exactly the same time. Dealing with that has made me stronger mentally. I thought nothing can be more difficult than this," Sathiyan said.
"It helped me face challenges and top players in crucial points and games. I improved, I was more hungry to succeed and started looking beyond not just being on the team but becoming a medal prospect," he said.
A gold-medallist at the Commonwealth Youth Games 10 years ago, Sathiyan is now aiming to strike gold at the senior edition.
"I am expecting nothing less than gold. We have a great team, I think it's the strongest team India has ever fielded in the Commonwealth Games for table tennis," he asserted.
With three golds in sight, Sathiyan is also hopeful of breaking the jinx by winning a maiden medal for India in the mixed-doubles event.