Retired for the love of academics: Archana Kamath

On Wednesday night, reports of Archana Kamath having hung up her paddle did the rounds.

The news was met with disbelief.

After all, how could a 24-year old athlete, at the top of her game, fresh from having represented the country at the Olympic Games, simply walk away from the game?

The speculation continued through much of Thursday.

But then, confirmation eventually did arrive in the form of a communique released by Archana herself, a copy of which is in the possession of The Bridge.

“It was not an easy decision for me to make, but if I have retired from competitive table tennis, it is only and only because of my love for academics,” her statement read.

As it turns out, Archana had made the decision to pursue higher education right after the Olympic Games and duly enrolled in a full-time 2-year Master’s program in Public Policy.

“I somehow felt inside that now is the time, and that I did not want to postpone my academic pursuits any further,” she says.

In the release, Archana stated that the sport had given her plenty - "...wonderful relationships, experiences of a lifetime, and most of all, the joy and the honour of representing my beloved Bharat, and an opportunity to give my best and fight for it.”

When reports emerged on Wednesday about her possibly moving away from competitive sport, speculation was rife that the lack of financial gains from the sport could perhaps be a reason.

But Archana dispelled that with in her statement.

“I have never thought about nor played TT with financial returns in mind. Moreover, I have received so much support over the years – emotional, financial and in every possible way one can think of....”

She went on to thank Indian Oil Corporation and their unconditional support and help through her career.

“…I have no words to express my gratitude to IOCL family for the unconditional help, encouragement and financial stability that I have received over the years, even during the uncertain times of the pandemic.”

Additionally, she expressed her gratitude towards several organizations that supported her.

“I have also been the fortunate recipient of extraordinary support, including financially, from the Olympic Gold Quest which has believed in me and supported me ever since I was a 15-year-old, SAI/TOPS and DYES Karnataka, and I will forever remain grateful to them.”

Her statement then made a mention of the coaches that helped her hone her craft – “…Anshul Garg sir (my TT coach), Jai Sanan sir (my S&C coach) and Shaantanu Kulkarni sir (my sports psychologist) and I will miss working with them in more ways than they can ever imagine.”

She went on to acknowledge Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the teachers of Poorna Prajna Education Centre, Jain University and O.P Jindal Global University, all institutions where she studied.

And in conclusion, she offered an apology to her countrymen – “Finally, to all my fellow Bharatiyas - while I did give my best, I sincerely apologise for not being able to do as much as I wanted to for our country, as an athlete. I do not know what the future holds for me, but I am sure of one thing – I will always try my best to serve our Bharat, in whatever little way I can.”

Archana Kamath's full statement:

Gratitude..🙏 pic.twitter.com/FgIdVUZeQc

— Archana Girish Kamath (@archanagk2024) August 22, 2024