Indian ace paddler Archana Kamath has suddenly decided to quit Table Tennis to pursue academics. Following her return from the Paris Olympics 2024, Kamath decided to hang up her boots. At an age of 24 she has decided it call it ends to her professional table tennis career. She was also the youngest national champion.
As per her coach Anshul Garg, Archana Kamath decided that she no longer wanted to play the sport. In stead she would be happy to travel to US to pursue her studies. Reports claim that she asked her coach that if the country had any chance of winning a medal in the next Olympics, i.e, LA28. To which she coach claimed that it would be tough.
“I told her that it’s difficult. It’s going to take a lot of hard work. She’s ranked outside the top 100 in the world but she improved so much in the past couple of months. But I think she had already made up her mind to go. And once she makes up her mind, it’s difficult to change it,”Anshul Garg told The Indian Express.
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Lack of money raises doubts!
While Archana Kamath has always been meritorious in her academics is a different issue altogether. But the lack of money in the sport in the country has also stirred heads after Archana’s shocking decision to retire from the sport at such a tender age. It is believed that she is ready to follow the footsteps of her brother who is a scientist at NASA.
“The top players generally don’t have any problem because they get a lot of support. But what about the upcoming players? Yes, they get support in terms of training and equipment. No expense is spared there but what about a livelihood? That gets difficult so Archana’s decision is understandable,” Anshul Garg said.
Archana feature in only one game at the Paris Olympics where India bowed out 1-3 to Germany in the quarter finals. But it was the demand of an Olympic medal that had kept her in the game. And with no guarantee that she might win it in LA28, the youngster has now decided to focus on her studies.
“When I saw Archana competing, I thought, Ok, we have won another tile in our mosaic of Indian table tennis players. I was aware of her always thinking about academics. It didn’t surprise me much but I understand her decision. We need to create a stronger system to make sport a career. We have also to think about how to preserve and guarantee a brighter future for sportspersons who are giving a part of their life to play for the country,” India National coach Massimo Costantini said.
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