Aditya Mehta, the undisputed king of the Indian snooker, has often found himself finishing second-best in major tournaments but the 27-year-old Mumbaikar was finally been able to break the shackles and silence his critics with a gold medal-winning performance at the recently-concluded World Games in Colombia.
“It’s just been such a long journey. My entire career has been about slow and steady improvement. I have learnt many lessons along the way. And to progress from the bronzes and silvers to gold medal was a matter of self-belief. I am really happy with this achievement,” Mehta was quoted as saying.
“It’s like dream come true for me. This trip to Colombia was probably the best moment in my life. The format was tricky being a best of five and knockout. Even the table conditions were very different from what we are used to. I was surprised at how well I adapted to them. I just focused on the basics and tried to keep it simple,” he added.
Mehta became the first Indian to win a World Games title after comfortably defeating his higher-ranked Chinese opponent and pre-tournament favourite, Liang Wenbo, in the summit clash of the quadrennial event.
Mehta said the title triumph would hold him in good stead in his second season on the tough professional circuit.
“It will be a good confidence booster for me. I had a tough end to last season but I worked hard and have started the new season well. Even though, I don’t have the wins to show for it yet, I can feel the difference in my game.
“I just need to stay focused and keep working the way I have. It’s a very competitive circuit and it’s not going to be any easier. But I have my goals and targets and let’s see how it works out,” he said.
The Mumbai cueist, who won silver and bronze medals at the 2010 Asian Games, was in top form throughout the five-day tournament and easily defeated his opponent in the final.