The Paris Olympics are set to take place from July 26 to August 11, 2024. Among the athletes representing India is Manika Batra, a leading figure in Indian table tennis.
In this article, The Sporting News looks at the Indian TT star's career, her achievements and more importantly, her form ahead of the Paris Olympics 2024.
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Who is Manika Batra?
Manika Batra is one of the top stars of Indian table tennis. She is a Commonwealth Games gold medallist, a two-time Olympian, and has won multiple other honours.
Manika became the first Indian woman to reach the round of 32 in singles at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
She first gained fame at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia, where she won four medals, including two golds. She also won three gold medals at the 2016 South Asian Games and made her Olympic debut at Rio 2016.
Manika's dedication to the sport is passionate, as she turned down modelling offers in her teens to focus on table tennis.
Manika Batra - Early career
Manika Batra was born in Delhi and began playing table tennis with her siblings at a young age. She idolized Achanta Sharath Kamal and followed his footsteps to the Olympics at the age of 21. Though she was eliminated in the first round at Rio 2016, it was a valuable learning experience.
By 2017, Manika had climbed to world No. 104 on the ITTF rankings, becoming India's highest-ranked female table tennis player. Along with Mouma Das, she made history by entering the quarter-finals of the World Table Tennis Championships.
Her rapid rise continued at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, where she won the women’s singles gold and led the Indian women's team to their first-ever gold medal.
How has Manika Batra performanced in tour events?
In 2021, Batra and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran became the first Indian pair to win a mixed doubles title at the Budapest WTT Contender event.
They continued their success in 2022 by winning a mixed doubles silver medal at the Doha WTT Contender. Additionally, Manika won a bronze medal in women’s doubles with Archana Kamath at the WTT Star Contender event in Doha.
Manika Batra - Form ahead of Paris 2024 Olympics
Manika's performance at the Saudi Smash 2024 Table Tennis tournament boosted her world ranking to 24, the highest ever for an Indian woman in singles. She is the first Indian to reach the quarter-finals of a WTT Grand Smash event.
List of major achievements of Indian Table Tennis player Manika Batra
Here is a list of medals won by the Indian table tennis star in major competitions, Manika Batra in her career so far:
| Year | Competition | Medal |
| 2016 | South Asian Games | Gold (3 medals) |
| 2018 | Commonwealth Games | Gold (Women’s Singles) |
| 2018 | Commonwealth Games | Gold (Women’s Team) |
| 2018 | Commonwealth Games | Bronze (Mixed Doubles with Sharath Kamal) |
| 2018 | Asian Games | Bronze (Mixed Doubles with Sharath Kamal) |
| 2021 | WTT Contender Budapest | Gold (Mixed Doubles with Sathiyan Gnanasekaran) |
| 2022 | WTT Contender Doha | Silver (Mixed Doubles with Sathiyan Gnanasekaran) |
| 2022 | WTT Star Contender Doha | Bronze (Women’s Doubles with Archana Kamath) |
Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award (2020): India's highest sports honor.
Arjuna Award (2018): India's second highest sports award.
ITTF’s ‘Breakthrough Star’ Award (2018): Only Indian to receive this award.
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