BENGALURU: Once the lockdown restrictions gradually eased throughout the country last month, India paddler Archana Kamath also decided to start her practice in the following weeks. In fact, she started practising at the Karnataka Table Tennis Association hall (in Sree Kanteerava Stadium) and Padukone-Dravid Centre of Sports Excellence in Bengaluru in the last week of June. But, the paddler has not been a regular, going to practice only seven to eight times so far.
Archana is quite worried about the rise of COVID-19 cases in the city. “My training is currently on and off. There is so much uncertainty at the moment that it is very hard to have a routine right now. Besides the increase in the number of cases, there are a lot of containment zones as well,” Archana told The New Indian Express.
However, regular practice is important for the youngster, who is still in the fray for the Olympics in the women’s singles and the mixed doubles. Archana could feature in the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament, which has been postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic.
She is of the opinion that a month and a tad more consistent training should help her get back into fitness, but hinted about the prospect of full training only after things improve. Archana, like other athletes, tried to maintain her fitness at home during the lockdown period by doing some exercises as well.
“I hope I will be able to practise every day as soon as possible. If and when the situation improves, it makes it easier for me to go to practice. It is not that I am not practising. But yes, being a regular will help me get into the groove. I have also accepted that it will take time to get back into the system and have routine practice,” said Archana, who has grown in reputation in the last few years.
Besides starring in various age group competitions in India, at 18, she became the youngest national champion after clinching the title in early 2019. More importantly, she defeated India’s best women’s player, Manika Batra en route to the crown. It made heads turn. Archana also won the mixed doubles gold in the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship the same year alongside G Sathiyan. She also reached the semifinals of the 2018 Youth Olympics.
Archana has been rubbing shoulders against quality players in various competitions, including the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) among others. “Playing more competitions definitely helps me, especially in gaining experience and exposure. I can also learn. Also, I have been part of all (three) UTT editions. The pool of players is very impressive and training with them and practising has also helped me overall,” added Archana.