Not Money, Paris Olympics Star Archana Kamath Reveals Real Reason Behind Quitting Table Tennis

Archana Kamath will dearly miss donning the Indian jersey, but the table tennis player is determined to serve the country in a "different way" in the future, helping to shape its public policies as an economist. Days after recording India's only success in the quarterfinal loss to Germany in the recent Paris Olympics, the 24-year-old from Bengaluru has re-entered student life in the USA where she is studying for a Master's in Public Policy at the University of Michigan.

Having started her professional career as a teenager, Archana's decision to move away from table tennis has been quite emotional. But she has equally enjoyed studying since her school days where she was a topper, securing 98.7 and 97 percent in her 10th and 12th exams.

Now, she is pursuing her second master's degree in Michigan, having already completed her post-graduation in International Relations. Archana obtained her bachelor's degree in economics and she wants to return to India after two years and serve the nation, probably as an economist.

Her role models range from well-known economist Sanjeev Sanyal to the likes of tennis stars Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal whom she met at the Games Village in Paris earlier this month.

Speaking to PTI from Ann Arbor in Michigan, Archana explained her decision to leave elite sport right after the Olympics.

She categorically stated that "she is not in it" for a better financial future as she has been taken care of by her employers Indian Oil, OGQ, and the government.

"I have always liked studying, as much as table tennis. I had inquired about this course in Michigan last year as well but then we qualified for the Paris Olympics as a team for the first time and I wanted to focus on that.

"Now that the Olympics are