Firstpost Exclusive: Manika Batra sheds light on challenges for Indian women in table tennis, opens up on her journey

In an exclusive conversation with Firstpost’s Rupha Ramani, ace table tennis player Manika Batra

opened up on her journey towards becoming one of the country's top paddlers who would go on to win multiple medals for her country, including gold at the Commonwealth Games, and also opened up on whether women were discriminated against in Indian table tennis compared to men or not.

Batra, who enjoyed a stellar run in 2018 by winning as many as four medals in the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast besides winning a Mixed Doubles bronze in the Jakarta Asian Games, said she has witnessed a lot of change in Indian table tennis of late and will be happy to take credit if she is indeed the reason behind this change in perception.

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"Recently, i see no such discrimination but in the past in the sport i saw in terms of support. The prize money was different for both the sets. It was different in terms of the popularity. But today i see the change. I am happy with the change. If i am the reason behind this change then i am really happy the change happened," Batra told Firstpost on the subject of discrimination against women in her sport.

"The support should be same from both the sets. Women are doing the best in every sport. Be it badminton, boxing, TT. Every athlete needs that support. From sports authority, federation. There should not be any discrimination as our focus should be on training and not on the logistics associated to it," Batra added.

Batra, who had become the first Indian paddler to win a medal at the Asian Cup with a bronze in 2022, added that there ultimately is no substitute for hard work and dedication for an athlete, regardless of their gender, and even in other walks of life.

"First of all we need dedication, we need hard work. Everything we need, just not to think what people say and what outsiders think about us. We just have to focus on ourself which is really important. What I did in my journey was to focus on myself and what I want from myself, which is important in every woman’s life, not only athletes," Batra said.

The Delhiite also shed light on her journey towards becoming one of the country's top stars in the sport, citing her sister as well as the women in her household as inspiration.

"When I started, when I was four years old, my sister used to play. Watching her play was the best, I would say. I’m really happy that I watched her play, and that I joined this sport. I used to have just fun in this sport, not thinking what my career would be and just thinking I want to have fun.

"That’s how I started, and watching the women in my house and how they uplifted me, my mom, my sister, my grandmother. So I think that really helped me till now how I am and how I am improving and focusing on my goals," the 28-year-old, who represents Bengaluru Smashers in Ultimate Table Tennis, added.

Batra further cited her mother as her inspiration, and the reason why she is where she finds herself today.

"My mother is my inspiration, she has been there through my journey. She made me focus on my sport and not anything else. And that is helping me today too."