We always talk about cricket and cricketers. However, there are many other sports in which many boys and girls are making the nation proud. Today we brought you the story of Manika Batra, a Table Tennis player of India. It is the story of Manika Batra, who has created a history in table tennis. She rejected many modeling offers to continue in sports, and now she is India’s star table tennis player. In 2020, she created history; she was awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award and is the first table tennis player to receive this award.
Manika Batra is the youngest child in the family, and she started playing table tennis since she was 4 years old. In an interview, Manika Batra added that her sister and brother used to play table tennis, and that’s how she was inspired to play the sport. She added that her coach, Sandeep sir supported her throughout, and she gradually started winning medals in the State championships and national championships. Seeing players winning medals for India inspired her, and she wanted to do the same.
Early Life
Manika Batra was born on 15th June, 1995 in Naraina Vihar, Delhi. She always dreamt of being a table tennis player. She won a silver medal in her first national competition at the age of 15. She then moved to Hans Raj Model School, where she trained with renowned coach Sandeep Gupta. She got a lot of modeling offers, but she turned them down for pursuing a career in table tennis. She enrolled in Delhi’s prestigious Jesus and Mary College but dropped out after a year due to her sporting activities. According to her, the sacrifices she made for table tennis had been too worthwhile, and it actually got paid off after going to the Commonwealth games. She was extremely focused on the game and believed that modeling offers would continue to come. Her sole aim was to make a successful career in table tennis. She was also focused on entering the Olympics.
Achievements Of Manika Batra
- In 2011, Batra won the silver medal in the under-21 category of the Chile Open.
- She was the quarterfinalist in the 2014 Asian Games.
- She represented India at Glasgow Games 2014, finishing as the quarterfinalist.
- At the 2015 Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships, she won three medals.
- She dominated the South Asian Games in 2016, winning 3 Gold medals.
- Took part in Rio Olympics 2016, losing to Katarzyna Grzybowska of Poland in the first round of the women’s individual event.
- Manika was successful in bagging two gold medals in the 2018 Commonwealth games.
- She has won a total of 5 gold medals in table tennis.
- She was voted ‘Breakthrough Star of the Year’ in 2018, the only Indian to receive this award by ITTF.
She failed to secure a place for India in the Women’s Team event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics when she lost 2–3 to France’s Marie Migot in the first match of the Tokyo 2020 Qualifiers quarter-final. Currently, she ranks 63 in the world; this is the top ranking for any player from India. Additionally, Manika Batra was featured on the cover of Femina, July 2018 issue. Moreover, she was also featured in Vogue Magazine, the edition of November 2018.
Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter |
Entertales is on YouTube; click here to subscribe for the latest videos and updates.