Chetan Baboor

Chetan Baboor — Four men’s national singles titles, two Commonwealth gold for doubles and runner-up in the Asia Cup and Commonwealth Championships – Indian table tennis player Chetan Baboor’s cupboard of trophies speaks volumes about his prowess and skills. He is one of the most well admired tennis players of India and his versatility as a player has been famous in both national and international circuits. An Arjuna awardee, Baboor has made quite a name for himself in the arena of table tennis in the world. In the following lines, we have provided detailed information about the early life and career of this outstanding player.

Early Life & Introduction To Table Tennis

Chetan Baboor was born on April 22, 1974 and belongs to the Babooru Kamme community of Holenarasipura, Karnataka. Though born in North India, he has spent a considerable amount of time in the southern and western parts of the country. In abroad, Sweden and France are two places where Baboor spent a lot of time. His inclination for the game started early. Having a knack for the game, Baboor refined his playing skills further. His immense talent can be proven with the fact that at 16 years of age only, he became a member of the senior national table tennis team. Apart from being a table tennis player, Baboor is a music enthusiast as well.

Career

Baboor’s achievements at both the national and international circuits can be attributed to his stint of professional table tennis for Swedish club Kalmar, where he spent about six years in the nineties. In Kalmar, a top division club, Baboor got to play alongside legendary table tennis players like Jan Ove Waldner and the experience did a world of good to his game. At the international stage, Baboor represented India at the 1992 Barcelona, 1996 Atlanta Olympics and 2000 Sydney Olympics, besides several editions of the World championships, Commonwealth, South Asian Federation and Asian championships.

Between 1998 and 2000, when Baboor was in the midst of a purple patch, he defeated Chinese 1996 Olympics singles gold medallist Liu Guoliang and Ma Wenge and the 1996 Olympics bronze medallist Jorg Rosskopf (Germany). Baboor was conferred with Arjuna Award, one of the highest civilian awards in India in the year 1997. Baboor, then, moved to the U.S. to pursue a Master of Business Administration degree in the Thunderbird University, Arizona, in 2001. Baboor won four men’s national singles titles, two Commonwealth gold medals for doubles and runner up in the Asia Cup and Commonwealth Championships.