I am Akanksha, a 10-year-old who entered the fascinating Table Tennis world when I was just seven! When other kids played hide and seek and, on the swings, I would follow my elder sister who played TT.
I began with the basic strokes with my sister and father but soon took up formal training in Table Tennis Academy.
Since my coaching happened in the evenings, I felt sad to skip playing with my friends in the lawns. Gradually, I developed an interest in TT as I started winning tournaments in LB and in school. During the lockdown, I continued to practise and improve my skills.
Often, I skipped my friends’ birthday parties and extended festival celebrations, but I realised that to become a good player, these sacrifices were insignificant. I followed a strict diet, but a weekly cheat day compensated for it!
I love travelling across India to play the National Level tournaments.
After ~two years, I started representing Delhi state at the National Level. I was India Rank 11 and Delhi Rank 1 in 2022 in under-11-Girls’ category. This year too, I won the CBSE Gold Medal in clusters and Bronze Medal in Nationals.
I train for nearly eight hours a day along with the practice and fitness sessions in the morning and evening at Noida Stadium, under National Level coaches and fitness trainers.
I wake up daily at 5 AM and am at the Noida Stadium when the day breaks. I have a group of state and national level players who follow a similar routine and train regularly with me. Our training continues throughout the year.
We enjoy our training and have fun in breaks.
I won the Delhi State Table Tennis Championship-2023 held at Delhi Sports University from 15-20 December 2023. It was indeed a memorable win as, in the finals, I defeated a senior player to whom I had lost in the last three tournaments.
This time, I had not only trained hard but was also very focussed and determined. I won the finals in straight sets (11-6, 11-2, 11-7). This made me believe that anything is possible with focus, confidence, and hard work.
This year, I shall play in the under-13-category in Delhi State tournaments; I hope to continue to train and do well at National level in coming years.
I am grateful to my parents and grandparents and all my coaches, friends and neighbours for their guidance, love and blessings!
