Paris Olympics Table Tennis: In a landmark achievement for Indian table tennis, Manika Batra has become the first Indian player to advance to the round of 16 in the singles competition at the Olympic Games. On Monday, Batra, a 29-year-old star and gold medalist from the 2018 Commonwealth Games, showcased her remarkable skills by defeating France's higher-ranked Prithika Pavade with a decisive 4-0 victory.

Batra's match scores were 11-9, 11-6, 11-9, and 11-7 against Pavade, a 19-year-old whose family hails from Puducherry and moved to France in 2003.

Who is Manika Batra?

Manika Batra, born and raised in Delhi, is a prominent Indian table tennis player. Growing up in a sports-oriented family, she was introduced to table tennis at the tender age of four by her elder siblings, Anchal and Sahil, who were also players. Her early promise was evident when she won a state-level under-8 tournament, leading her to train under coach Sandeep Gupta at Hans Raj Model School.

Batra's career took off with a silver medal at the 2011 Chile Open in the under-21 category. She represented India in the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the 2014 Asian Games, reaching the quarterfinals in both. Her breakthrough came at the 2015 Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships, where she won three medals, including silver in the women’s team and doubles events, and bronze in singles.

Manika's Career Highlights

The 2016 South Asian Games saw Batra clinch three gold medals in women's doubles, mixed doubles, and the women's team events. Although she qualified for the Rio Olympics in the same year, she was knocked out in the first round.

Batra's crowning achievement came at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, where she led the Indian team to a historic gold medal in the women’s team event, defeating the powerful Singapore team. She also secured India's first-ever silver medal in women's doubles and won gold in singles, earning four medals in total.

In the years that followed, Batra continued her impressive form, winning team gold at the 2019 Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships. Her latest achievement surpasses her previous Olympic record at the Tokyo Games, where she became the first Indian woman to reach the round of 32 in singles. At the same Tokyo Olympics, Achanta Sharath Kamal also reached the round of 32 in men's singles.

Currently ranked 28th in the world, Batra is ten places below Pavade. In 2021, she secured victories at the WTT Contender Budapest mixed doubles and the WTT Contender Lasko women’s doubles events. She also competed in the inaugural WTT Grand Smash event in Singapore in 2022 and reached a career-high world ranking of number four in women’s doubles with Archana Girish Kamath.

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