Did Archana Kamath just trade the paddle for books?

"She is still young, and she could have made it to the top. I don't want her to give up."

That was 17-year-old Rohan, reacting with visible disbelief over news that emerged Wednesday night that sent shockwaves across the Indian table tennis fraternity. 

Archana Kamath to call it quits?

The 24-year-old, a member of the Indian women's team at the recently concluded Olympic Games in Paris, has reportedly quit the sport.

Archana was a standout paddler during the Indian women's table tennis team's historic campaign in Paris, where they reached the quarterfinals for the first time.

Despite the team's 1-3 loss to Germany in the quarterfinals, Archana shone brightly by defeating Xiaona Shan, showcasing the soaring confidence in her game.

Following this performance, she successfully dodged the controversy that engulfed her selection in the Indian team ahead of Ayhika Mukherjee, and she was widely regarded as a future star.

Archana, however, left everyone in disbelief when on the media reported on Wednesday night that she has supposedly quit professional table tennis by opting to pursue higher studies in the US instead.

Archana took to table tennis at nine after watching her brother Abhinav.

“He loved the game much more than me, and I just happened to be there. But he was very nice to me as well. Sometimes, he would deliberately lose to me so that I wouldn’t cry,” Archana had previously told Scroll.in in an interview.

 After being snubbed for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Archana worked hard to find a spot in the Indian team for the Paris Olympics, where she dazzled in both women's doubles and singles matches.  

Archana, a meritorious student, pursued a degree in Economics and completed her Master’s in International Relations, Strategies, and Securities, all whilst competing on the professional table tennis circuit.

Living in Bengaluru and coming from a family of doctors - her parents Girish and Anuradha Kamath are ophthalmologists - she has always been academically inclined.

'Difficult to change her mind': Coach

Despite receiving support from the Indian government's Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) and Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ), Archana reportedly quit table tennis as she didn't see a robust future in the sport.

Before making the decision, Archana had asked her coach, Ansul Garg, whether she had any chance of winning a medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

“I told her that it’s difficult. It’s going to take a lot of hard work. She’s ranked outside the top 100 in the world, but she improved so much in the past couple of months. But I think she had already made up her mind to go. And once she makes up her mind, it’s difficult to change it,” Garg was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

Archana’s decision to pursue higher studies in the USA was supposedly influenced by her brother, who works at NASA.

"My brother works at NASA. He's my idol, and he 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 had said earlier.

Her father, Girish, emphasised that Archana has wanted to purse academics.

“Archana has always been academically oriented, and throughout her TT career, she pursued her studies. 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 to pursue her other passion—full-time studies. She has taken this difficult step with absolutely no regrets after giving her best to the sport and the country,” he said to The Indian Express.

Earlier this year, Archana pulled out of Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) citing personal reasons. 

Youngsters disappointed

The news of Archana's supposed retirement has taken aspiring players in Bengaluru by surprise. Many of them looked up to her as an inspiration, and her decision to leave table tennis has left them disappointed.

"If she is leaving TT, it's disappointing, as we looked up to her. She is a really good player," Poornima, a Bengaluru-based junior player, told The Bridge.

Others, like 17-year-old Rohan, urged her to stay the course while stating that she was still young and had plenty of time to make it to the top.

Archana's decision to prioritize studies over table tennis has also left Simran, a U16 player, hesitant about her own future in the sport.

"Archana had the support of organizations, and there is also UTT now, so for us young players who love table tennis and want to take it as a career, it's worrying if someone like Archana is leaving. I'm concerned about the future of the sport in India," said Simran.