Archana Kamath in action at the Paris Olympics (AFP)
After deeming that there is no feasible future where she can thrive financially, and seemingly with no guarantee of an Olympic medal anytime soon, the 24-year-old decided to call it quits.
After a historic outing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the Indian Women’s Table Tennis team made history by surpassing the round of 16 for the first time ever, star player Archana Kamath has decided to quit the sport and pursue higher studies abroad.
Kamath, at 24 years of age, was the only player to win a game in the Women’s Team Quarterfinals, where the Indians fell to Germany 1-3 and ended their campaign at the Paris Olympics.
It is said that after her Paris Olympics campaign, the star paddler had an honest conversation with coach Anshul Garg about her future in the sport.
After deeming that there is no feasible future where she can thrive financially, and seemingly with no guarantee of an Olympic medal anytime soon, the 24-year-old decided to call it quits.
“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,” Garg was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.
Kamath’s selection into the Indian team itself was one that was hotly debated, as she was picked over Ayhika Mukerjee, who had beaten World No.1 Sun Yingsha.
But regardless of it all, the youngster has now decided that perhaps pursuing a degree abroad might just be the best course of action for her long-term future in this sporting climate.
“My brother works at NASA. He’s my idol and he too encourages me to study. So I make the time to complete all my studies and I enjoy it. I’m good at it too,” Kamath had told The Indian Express earlier this year.
What Kamath’s decision does do though, is raise questions about the growth of the sport in India and where it will be economically feasible for someone to pursue a career in the same over a long term.
Coach Anshul Garg believes that there is a need for proper structure in order to protect the pipeline of promising young players coming up the ranks.
“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,” Garg said.
