[Watch] Ace paddler Manika Batra training hard ahead of Paris Olympics 2024
Two-time Olympian table tennis player Manika Batra is aiming to make it big in her third consecutive Olympics. Currently, she is training hard as witnessed by a video posted by her on Instagram ahead of the Paris Olympics 2024.
The Commonwealth Games gold medalist paddler and the Indian table tennis contingent are currently training in Saarbrücken before they head to the French capital for the Summer Games in Paris.
“Welcome to the main event,” she captioned her training video on Instagram.
Manika Batra made her Olympic debut at Rio 2016
Manika Batra came to the spotlight after securing three gold medals at the South Asian Games in 2016, winning the women's team, doubles, and mixed doubles events. Moreover, she also secured the silver medal in the same competition in the singles event.
Furthermore, she made her Olympic debut at Rio 2016 after winning the South Asia group of qualification tournament in April 2016. However, her Olympic experience was short-lived as she suffered a defeat to Katarzyna of Poland in the first round to make an exit.
Emulating her idol, Achanta Sharath Kamal, Manika Batra also made her Olympics debut when she was 21.
Manika further caught the limelight at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia in 2018 when she bagged four medals, including two golds. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, she became the first female paddler from India to make it to the Round of 32 in singles at the Games.
Though she failed to bag a medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022 and the Asian Games in China in 2023, she has already made a name for herself by making it to the top 50 in women’s singles over the past few years.
Manika achieved a career-high world No. 24 in the women’s singles rankings following her impressive Saudi Smash campaign in 2024.
At Saudi Smash 2024, she defeated the World No. 2 Wang Manyu of the People’s Republic of China in the round of 32 before stunning World No. 14 Nina Mittelham of Germany in the pre-quarterfinals. However, she suffered a loss to world No. 5 Hina Hayata of Japan in the last eight.