Paris Olympics star Archana Kamath retires from professional table tennis
Archana Kamath, a key member of the women's table tennis contingent at the 2024 Paris Olympics, has announced her retirement from professional sports. The team made history by advancing to the quarter-finals for the first time. Despite this achievement, Kamath has chosen to pursue academic interests in the US over continuing her table tennis career.
Kamath's decision to retire was not financially driven
Kamath's decision to retire was not financially driven. "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," said the 24-year-old paddler to The Indian Express.
Kamath's academic aspirations and family influence
Kamath's brother, who works at NASA and is her idol, has been a significant influence in her decision to focus on academics. "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," the paddler had stated earlier.
Kamath's father supports her decision to retire
Kamath's father, Girish, has expressed his support for her decision to retire and pursue academics. He described her as a brilliant student who has always balanced her table tennis career with education. "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 Master's degree in International Relations, Strategies, and Securities," he said.
Kamath's coach understands her decision to retire
Archana's coach, Anshul Garg has voiced his support for her decision to retire from the sport. He recognized the difficulties faced by emerging players in securing a sustainable livelihood from the sport. "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. But what about a livelihood? That gets difficult so Archana's decision is understandable," stated the coach.
Archana Kamath in Paris 2024
Archana's selection for the Paris Olympics sparked considerable debate before the team event began. She was chosen over Ayhika Mukherjee, who had previously defeated World No. 1 Sun Yingsha, which went on to become the point of discussion. At the Olympics, Archana snubbed the chatter surrounding her selection by leading the Indian team to their sole victory against Germany in their 1-3 quarterfinal defeat.
