“I’d really like to do well in the Paris Olympics” – 16-year-old table tennis prodigy Prithika Pavade on her goals


“I’d really like to do well in the Paris Olympics” – 16-year-old table tennis prodigy Prithika Pavade on her goals

Prithika Pavade

16-year-old Prithika Pavade is considered to be the next big thing in table tennis in France. The prodigy is set to feature in her first Olympic Games when she travels to Tokyo as the youngest member of the French team. For her however, the focus is fixed on the Paris Olympic Games in 2024. The Tokyo Games will be used to gain much needed big match experience, in her own words.

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Prithika made it to the Tokyo Games by winning her semi-final match at the International Table Tennis Federation’s (ITTF) European Olympic Singles Qualification Tournament. She was on a terrific run in the tournament in Guimaraes in Portugal and the run included a spectacular win over top seeded Hana Matelova of Czech Republic.

Prithika Pavade on her goals and aspirations

Prithika Pavade
Prithika Pavade

Prithika Pavade spoke to AFP about her early life and said, “I started playing at the Bourget Club when I was seven. My father played in India when he was young and when my parents came to France, he enrolled my older brother. I used to go and watch him play occasionally, and from there things happened quite naturally and I just went to sign up.”

About her playing style, she said, “I’m pretty aggressive when I play. I try to act as quickly as possible. I try to vary where I position myself and I concentrate a lot on tactics to try to trap my opponent and work out where they’re less comfortable. I’m quite a calm person and I don’t tend to show my emotions which can help as it means my opponent can’t read me.”

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Finally about her goals, “The goal is to gain experience on the court because we have the Paris Olympics next and I’d really like to do well there. I’ll try to do well this time if the circumstances allow for it but the aim is to gain experience, do my best and make it as far as I can,” Prithika signed off.

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