 "Archana Kamath quits table tennis to focus on studies, raising concerns about sport's long-term viability")
Indian table tennis player Archana Kamath who was part of the women’s team that created history at the Paris Olympics 2024 has reportedly decided to quit the sport as a professional and pursue higher studies in the USA. Indian women’s table tennis team created history by reaching the quarter-finals for the first time at the Olympics in Paris. In their defeat to Germany in the last eight encounter, Kamath was the only Indian to win a match in the tie.
But Kamath, who is currently ranked 122 in the world, has now decided to quit playing as a professional as she did not see a bright future in the sport achievement-wise and also from the context of stability. India are far from one of the best-performing nations in table tennis which China dominates.
As per reports, Kamath had an honest conversation with coach Anshul Garg about her future in the sport, and with chances of an Olympic medal looking bleak, she decided to quit the sport professionally at just 24.
“I told her that it’s difficult (Olympic medal). 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,” Garg was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.
Archana’s father Girish said the table tennis player has decided to quit the sport to pursue her other passion of full-time studies with no regrets.
“Archana has always been academically oriented and all along her TT career has pursued her studies with graduation in Economics and has recently completed the requirements for a Masters degree in International Relations, Strategies and Securities. Having played table tennis with so much dedication and passion for more than 15 years which culminated in her representing our country at the Olympics, she felt it’s time for her to pursue her other passion- full-time studies. She has taken this difficult step with absolutely no regrets and after having given her best for the sport and the country,” Girish was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.
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