Manika Batra’s campaign for Olympic medal ends in Paris

Manika Batra lost 1-4 (6-11, 9-11, 14-12, 8-11, 6-11) to Japan’s Miu Hirano in the Round of 16 at the Paris Olympics in a 47-minute match, after which she came out with her head bowed from the North Paris Arena. But it was a campaign that brought no reason for her to bow her head in shame.

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This was not only the first time in her career that Manika was fighting for a spot in the quarterfinals of the Olympics but, for Indian table tennis as a whole. To match the occasion, Manika said she felt the need to do something ‘different’. “I was trying to win, win, win, win… and then lost my calmness. She didn’t do anything different today, but I had to,” Manika said after the match.

Confident glint in the eyes, Manika Batra crouched so low to serve that only her Olympic rings and tri-colour painted fingernails protruded over the table. But by the time she emerged to launch that slice serve to open the match, this trailblazing Olympian was gripped by nerves.

The ball spilled into the net, and Manika smiled and shrugged. For the rest of the night, the shrug remained but the smile had disappeared.

Painful as it was to watch, she fought with the demons in her head and endured a meltdown in full public view. The rare ‘cho’ — her rallying cry every time she connected well with the ball — would come in between looks of disgust and disbelief by Manika, flinging the paddle once on the table, smashing the ball on the floor, slapping her thigh in anger, and looking disconsolately at her coaches — Aman Balgu in the stands and Massimo Constantini in her corner.