Ahmedabad Defenders’ Shon Thanghalathil John was one of the standout players in the inaugural edition of the RuPay Prime Volleyball League powered by A23.

Having combined with the likes of Angamuthu and Muthusamy, Shon T John’s Ahmedabad Defenders won five of their six matches in the league phase to finish on top of the standings with 10 points. Throughout the league phase, Shon T John showcased his impressive attacking prowess and versatility to help his side finish as table-toppers.

In the semi-final against the Hyderabad Black Hawks, Shon T John produced a match-winning performance to power the Ahmedabad Defenders to the summit clash in the first edition. Shon put in a Man-of-the-Match performance, using his arsenal of blistering spikes to help defeat Hyderabad Black Hawks 15-13, 15-12, 9-15, 15-12 at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad.

Ahmedabad Defenders’ campaign ended courtesy of a heart-breaking defeat to Kolkata Thunderbolts in the final. However, Shon was one of the huge positives in Ahmedabad Defenders’ impressive campaign as he ended the season with 77 points and a 47.8% attack success rate. He also won the Man of the Match award in three games.

Talking about Shon T John’s early life, the rising attacker of Indian volleyball was born in Mukkoottuthara, a developing town in Kerala. He took interest in the sport at an early age and later started playing for a local club in his area. The star attacker struggled to get good coaching and a proper set-up for playing volleyball during his school days.

Overcoming several challenges, Shon made his debut for the Indian men's national volleyball team at the 2018 Asian Championship. Since then, Shon has won a gold medal with the Indian team at the 2019 South Asian Games and also clinched silver at the Under-23 Asian Championship. As of 2022, he has already registered 360 spikes and 345 blocks at international level so far.

Shon T John has stated that he has been inspired by Naveen Raja Jacob, who has been an integral part of the Indian men's national volleyball team since 2007.

Shon was among the sought after players at the auction in Season 1. The Ahmedabad Defenders secured his services for INR 7.25 lakhs. Having stolen the limelight in the inaugural season, the PVL Season 1 finalists have retained the star attacker for INR 13 lakhs in the upcoming season.

Meanwhile, Shon feels that volleyball players in India should get more opportunities.

“Volleyball is one of the most popular sports in the world. The Olympics has the sport in two formats i.e. beach and indoor. The next generation of kids who are playing volleyball in India need to have hope that through leagues such as the Prime Volleyball League, they have an opportunity not only to play the sport professionally and make money, but also showcase their talent and possibly play in the top leagues in the world.”

During his off days, Shon T John indulges in watching movies, playing on the playstation and the occasional badminton with friends.

Shon’s favourite sportsperson is Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo because of the former Manchester United forward’s playing style and the way he has managed to stay at the top of the game for such a long duration.

Shon T John will aim to continue his splendid form for Ahmedabad Defenders in the second edition of RuPay Prime Volleyball League powered by A23, starting from February 4.

Read more on the Prime Volleyball League website.