Archana Kamath, table tennis player who represented India at Paris Olympics, quits sport at 24 to pursue academics
India's table tennis player Archana Kamath called on her career at 24 to pursue academics.
Just days after delivering a fighting performance at the Paris Olympics, 24-year-old Indian table tennis player Archana Kamath made a surprising decision to call time on her career. Despite helping the Indian women’s table tennis team achieve its best-ever Olympic result by reaching the quarterfinals, Archana, according to Indian Express, informed her coach, Anshul Garg, that she no longer saw a future in professional table tennis.
Instead, she expressed a desire to pursue higher education in the United States.
Archana’s journey to the Paris Olympics had been anything but smooth. Her selection over Ayhika Mukherjee, who had been in exceptional form, sparked controversy. However, Archana silenced her critics by playing a crucial role in India’s historic run at the Games. She also managed to secure India’s lone victory against Germany, defeating the much higher-ranked Xiaona Shan.
While it was initially reported that lack of financial rewards was a factor, Archana, in a chat with the same publication, later revealed that academics was the only reason behind her decision to quit the game.
“If I have retired from competitive table tennis, it is only and only because of my passion for academics. Having been the recipient of extraordinary support, including financial, I can confidently say, that it wasn’t in any way a financial decision,” Archana said.
Passion for academics
Recognising her academic strengths, Archana decided that pursuing education abroad was a more viable long-term plan, marking a significant shift in her life.
“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,” Archana's father, Girish Kamath, told The Indian Express.
Massimo Costantini, the national table tennis coach, expressed worries over India losing one of its top TT talent, insisting that the situation urgently demands a “stronger system” for athletes to build a career in the sport.
“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,” says Costantini.
“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.”
