‘In 2016, Manika was playing in the South Asian Games. When she scored her last point, I was almost breathless. When Manika won, I turned off the TV and started crying with joy. Manika had won three golds. It was hard to believe that she was playing at such a high level.
,
When Sushma Batra, mother of table tennis player Manika Batra, says this, happiness is clearly visible on her face. Delhi’s Manika is in Paris to play her third consecutive Olympics. Her matches have started. Manika made it to the Round of 32 on Sunday by defeating Britain’s Anna Hersey. Looking at her past record of wins, Manika is a big contender for the medal.
Manika’s mother was very inspired by the film Dangal. After watching the film, she also included a lot of almonds in her daughter’s diet. She hopes that along with Manika, her hard work will also be rewarded in the form of an Olympic medal this time. Read the ground report from Manika’s house…
Started playing table tennis at the age of 4, won silver medal in 8th
Manika has an elder sister and a brother. All three are fond of sports since childhood. Manika’s sister also used to play table tennis. Manika’s mother Sushma Batra says, ‘Seeing her elder sister, Manika’s interest in table tennis also started increasing. She has been playing table tennis since the age of 4. She started from her school in Delhi. Later she joined the academy.’
Sushma Batra further says, ‘Manika’s father used to play table tennis as a hobby. I was also interested in sports and fitness. Manika is the youngest of the three children. The son was good in studies. The elder daughter was an all-rounder. They chose professional life instead of sports. They go to office, do jobs. Manika made table tennis her career.’
Manika Batra during her first match at the Paris Olympics on July 28.
‘We saw that Manika is very serious about table tennis, she is working hard, so we were forced to push her forward in this sport. Studies were given second priority. As far as I know, before Manika, there was no big Indian player in women’s table tennis. I have a rule, whatever you do, do it with full dedication. Don’t waste time.’
‘When Manika started winning tournaments, I felt that she can move ahead in this. She can do something big. When she was young, I had thought that Manika can make a career in table tennis. She was in 8th grade when she won the silver medal in Chile Open. At the national level, Manika started defeating senior players.’
Manika practices table tennis, her mother helps her with her school homework
Recalling Manika’s school days, Sushma says, ‘Studies and sports cannot be managed together. So we helped Manika. Manika’s sister and I used to do her homework. I used to make notes for her. This was in the year 2011.’
Manika played her first Olympics at the age of 21. Her ranking in 2017 was 104. She is the first Indian female table tennis player to reach this rank.
Sushma says, ‘I was with Manika in Australia during the Commonwealth Games in 2018. I felt very proud to see Manika playing in front of me. Manika won gold for India in that match. I was very happy. Everyone sitting there was coming and congratulating me.’
From 5am to 6pm, only studies and table tennis
Manika’s routine was very strict and difficult. She would leave home at 5 in the morning and return home at 6 in the evening. Sushma says, ‘Manika was four years old when we put her in the academy. The academy was in the school itself. She would practice without taking leave. She was young, so we had to support her.’
‘Manika used to wake up at 5 am and do fitness training for half an hour. I used to take her to school at 7 am. She used to practice in the school hall. She used to attend school at 9 am. I used to bring lunch for her to school in the afternoon.’
‘School used to end at 2 o’clock. She used to change her clothes and practice in the school itself. Then when she would return home at 6 in the evening, she would be so tired that she would fall asleep after having dinner. Yes, during board exams, Manika used to take leave from sports.’
‘I was very inspired by the movie Dangal. Just like in the movie, Aamir Khan used to give almonds and heavy diet to his daughter. I also got inspired. I used to soak almonds for Manika. I used to make milk for her and give it to her.’
Manika has been practicing in the academy since the age of 4. Photo- manikabatra.15 Insta
Modelling offers came, but Manika focused on sports only
Manika is fond of fashion. Because of her height and personality, she keeps getting modelling offers. She rejects every offer because she wants to focus on sports. Sushma says, ‘Manika has only one hobby, shopping.’
‘She loves buying clothes. Manika’s wardrobe is always full of clothes. She wants a new dress every day. She wants new footwear. She has received many modelling offers, but she always wants to give priority to table tennis.’
Sushma says, ‘When Manika started playing table tennis, it was seen as a sport where one only had to participate. Earlier in India, table tennis was not considered a serious sport. There were not so many facilities then.’
‘Now we have the support of SAI, Table Tennis Federation and the government. Now our players are even defeating China. Manika wanted people to take table tennis as a career and not as a hobby.’
Apart from table tennis, Manika’s hobby is shopping. Photo- manikabatra.15 Insta
The coach made a strategy with Olympian Neha Agarwal
Coach Sandeep Gupta has been with Manika since her school days. In 2019, he was awarded the Dronacharya Award. He used to run an academy named ‘Stage Table Tennis’ at Hans Raj Model School in Delhi.
Sandeep Gupta says, ‘Manika was only 4 years old when she came to me. My academy’s old centre was in Hans Raj Model School, where Manika also studied. I had also trained her sister. Manika is a very dedicated player. Even at a young age, she used to play table tennis without stopping. Table tennis is a very fast game. Any child gets tired quickly.’
Talking about coaching and training, Sandeep says, ‘The school supported us a lot. We used to practice in the school from 7 to 9 in the morning. After that Manika used to attend classes wearing the school uniform. After school, she used to rest in the table tennis hall from 2 to 3 in the afternoon. We used to practice for three hours in the morning and three hours in the evening.’
‘Every player is different in his own way. Training is done according to that. Fitness, service and technique are taught. We have trained very hard from the initial stage itself. Manika used to practice for hours whatever the coach told her.’
‘Manika did not win any title till the junior level. After coming to the youth category, she has remained unbeatable. She won the Under-21 title at the national level three times in a row. She became the national champion for the first time in Hyderabad. Indian Olympian Neha Agarwal also taught Manika a lot. We worked together on Manika’s technique. This is the reason why she was able to defeat the big players of the world.’
‘When Manika went to play in the Rio Olympics, she returned very disappointed. She was young then. We had decided while returning on the plane that we will work hard on her. We will try every way to instill in her the passion needed to become a world class player.’
‘We trained in Japan, Korea and Europe. Before the match, I tell him not to focus on who is playing against you. You should know how to use your strengths and the weaknesses of your opponent.’
Before every match, Manika’s coach asks her to focus on her strengths. Photo- manikabatra.15 Insta
Manika Batra became the first Indian female table tennis player to make it to the round of 32 in singles at the Tokyo Olympics. However, she could not win a medal. Before the start of her event at the Paris Olympics, Manu Bhaker also said in an interview, ‘I have learned a lot from the last Olympics.’
‘I am not going to repeat those mistakes again. My mindset has changed since then, I am calm and I have more confidence in myself. My goal is to play for a medal, but I will move forward slowly. I will play round by round and will not think about the medal too early.’
Discover more from Divya Bharat 🇮🇳
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.