India's women's table tennis player, Archana Kamath, who played a crucial role in the Paris Olympics 2024 to lead the country to the quarter-finals, announced her decision to quit professional table tennis and focus on her academic career.
The 24-year-old who had helped India achieve a historical feat in the Olympics by reaching the quarters, decided to carry forward her higher education in the US as a more viable long-term plan. She will be persuing her second Masters degree at the University of Michigan.
Archana obtained her bachelor's degree in economics and she wants to return to India after two years and serve the nation, probably as an economist.
Her role models range from well-known economist Sanjeev Sanyal to the likes of tennis stars Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal whom she met at the Games Village in Paris earlier this month.
"I have always liked studying, as much as table tennis. I had inquired about this course in Michigan last year as well but then we qualified for the Paris Olympics as a team for the first time and I wanted to focus on that. Now that the Olympics are done, I want to study more and come back to India after two years and serve the people in a different capacity," she said.
"The best thing about the Olympics was being with seniors like Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra. The environment was so good. I also got to meet Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz. I made memories for life there. I have also loved fighting for my country and that is something I will miss the most. I hope to keep playing here (in the US)" she added
"I have always been interested in policy making. The main goal is to serve India. I just want to see how I go about my course. The eventual goal is to come back and serve India. I really admire Sanjeev Sanyal's work. His wide range of work inspires me," said Archana, who began attending lectures earlier this week.
Her news of retirement had taken the Indian sports community by shock. In a recent interview with The Indian Express, she denied any financial concerns and clarified that her decision was driven by her passion for 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," she said.
Her father described her as a brilliant student and that she has no regrets in moving forward with the decision. He was proud of what she has done for the sport and her country.
(With inputs from PTI)