Olympian Archana Kamath quits table tennis amid uncertain future in sports
Kamath, who is presently ranked 122 in the world, has decided to stop playing professionally because she does not see a bright future in the sport
Archana Kamath, an Indian table tennis player who was part of the women’s squad that made history at the Paris Olympics 2024, has reportedly opted to quit the sport as a professional player and pursue higher education in the United States. The news “Archana Kamath quits table tennis” comes as a surprise to many, especially after the Indian women’s table tennis team made history by reaching the quarterfinals for the first time at the Olympics in Paris. In their last-eight setback to Germany, Kamath was the only Indian to win a match.
However, Kamath, who is presently ranked 122 in the world, has decided to stop playing professionally because she does not see a bright future in the sport in terms of achievement or stability.
India is far from being one of the top-performing nations in table tennis, which China dominates.
Why Archana Kamath quits Table Tennis: The Challenges
According to sources, Kamath had an honest chat with coach Anshul Garg about her future in the sport, and with her chances of winning an Olympic medal looking poor, she opted to retire professionally at the age of 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 told The Indian Express.
Girish, Archana’s father, stated that her decision to give up table tennis in favour of her other passion—full-time studies—was made 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.” Girish told Indian Express, “She has taken this difficult step with absolutely no regrets and after having given her best for the sport and the country.”
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