Teen paddler Diya Chitale caught everyone’s eyeballs after winning medals at Junior level tournaments in nations like Jordan, Serbia, Belgium, Slovenia, and Czech. The 17-year old Diya started playing Table Tennis merely as a hobby and now aims for a medal at the 2024 Olympic Games. She started playing Table Tennis at the age of eight years and went on to showcase her talent against players from countries like China, Korea, Japan, Germany, and Hong Kong.

Teen paddler Diya Chitale caught everyone’s eyeballs after winning medals at Junior level tournaments in nations like Jordan, Serbia, Belgium, Slovenia, and Czech. The 17-year old Diya started playing Table Tennis merely as a hobby and now aims for a medal at the 2024 Olympic Games. She started playing Table Tennis at the age of eight years and went on to showcase her talent against players from countries like China, Korea, Japan, Germany, and Hong Kong.

The Omnisports recently got the opportunity to talk with Diya Chitale on her academics, career plans, inspiration, and much more.

How do you manage Table Tennis and studies together?

My school Arya Vidya Mandir has supported me a lot and that helped me to manage sports as well as studies. Whenever I used to miss school, whether, for tournaments or training, they used to arrange exams for me and also conducted extra lessons for all the study that I had missed. That’s how I was able to do both these things.

Now I am doing open schooling and during this lockdown period, I am getting a lot of time to study. I am trying to study as much as possible and sports have taught me time management. I guess this is the first time when I am studying way before my exams.

What are your future plans in terms of both academics and sports?

I want to make a career in Table Tennis and my focus would be sports but I will also manage my academics along with that. My ultimate goal is to achieve a medal for India at the Olympics and do what Saina and Sindhu did in Badminton. I will continue working hard for that.

In terms of academics, I think I will probably do something like sports management to always remain connected to sports.

What has been the role of your parents in your sporting career so far?

Parents’ support is very important for every athlete and I have experienced it. My parents have supported me in all the decisions that I have made. They have never put any pressure on me, both in sports and academics. Even when I am low, they keep motivating me and are always there for me.

Along with my parents, I have also got support from Olympic Gold Quest and Indian Oil which have reduced the burden on my parents. Khelo India initiative, backed by the Sports Authority of India has helped all the athletes. The Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) has also provided maximum exposure for us.

To which player do you look up the most as an inspiration for your TT career?

I have been learning many different things from different players like Timo Boll. Not only his brilliant game but his off-court behaviour is also very inspiring and I have experienced it. When we were practising in the same club, he stopped his practice and helped me in setting up the table for myself. It clearly shows how humble he is.

Back home in India, Sharath Bhaiya and Sathiyan Bhaiya have performed exceptionally well even at the international level. Because of this, people across the world look at Indian Table Tennis very differently now.

If not sports, which career option you would rather choose?

Table Tennis has been my life since a very young age and I have been so involved in sports. As a result, I never got a chance to think about what career option I would have taken if not sports. If I am forced to think about it, then I would have gone for a career in management.

Source: The Omni Sports