Gold medalist Madhurika Torgalkar and husband Omkar speak on how they manage to maintain work-life balance
Madhurika Torgalkar
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They say that behind every successful man is a woman. But for Madhurika Patkar, who returned from the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in Australia with a gold medal, it's the other way round. Husband Omkar Torgalkar, 30, a former national table tennis player, has been not just her pillar of strength, but also her lucky charm.
After a lengthy courtship that began a few years after they first played together two decades ago, Madhurika and Omkar tied the knot on October 27, 2015. And since then, Madhurika, 30, believes the tables have turned, quite literally, in her professional life.
Husband Omkar Torgalkar feeds wife Madhurika a piece of cake at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport in Andheri yesterday. Pic/Datta Kumbhar, AFP
"Marriage with Omkar has been the best thing that has happened in my life. Just a year into my marriage, I was promoted to Deputy Manager in ONGC [Oil and Natural Gas Corporation]. Then, I became the national champion in 2017. And now, this CWG gold medal. So, he's definitely lucky for me," Madhurika told mid-day yesterday at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport on her arrival from Australia.
"Being a table tennis player, he understands the game very well and constantly guides me on how and where I need to improve, where I am lacking and how I should work on it," she added.
Madurika in action at Gold Coast.
Being a married sportswoman, it must be tough to concentrate on the game, maintaining a fitness regime as well as balancing family life, but Madhurika feels lucky to receive support from Omkar and his family. "Omkar's mother supports me a lot. She knows what a player's life is like. She does not just takes care of the house, but looks after us too. She only expects me to give my 100 per cent whenever I am representing my state or country. As a player, your parents always support you, but it's equally important to receive the same kind of support from your extended family post-marriage," Madhurika explained.
Madhurika and Omkar, who runs his own sports coaching firm, are regulars at Mulund Gymkhana, where they train together for up to three hours daily. "We particularly work on her weakness and strategising against specific opponents. We do fitness training together too," said Omkar, who welcomed his wife with open arms at the airport yesterday.
The Indian table tennis team beat defending champions Singapore 3-1 in the team final to clinch gold at the CWG. Madhurika first beat Singapore's Mengyu Yu beat Madhurika Patkar 13-11, 11-2, 11-6 in a singles match and then paired up with Mouma Das to beat Yihan Zhou and Mengyu Yu 11-7, 11-6, 8-11, 11-7 in the women's doubles.
Interestingly, it was Omkar's planning that helped Madhrika succeed here. "On the eve of the final, Omkar spoke to me over the phone and gave me a lot of confidence. He reminded me that we had specifically practised well for such tough opponents. He encouraged me to play freely and attack. I did it and we won," said Madhurika.
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