Manika Batra: Top five Achievements of Indian table tennis star

The 25-year-old has achieved multiple successes in recent years.

Manika Batra is one of the top Table Tennis players in India. The sport has always been her first love. She aspires to become the face of Table Tennis in the country.

Her dedication and perseverance have made India proud many times. Not just this, she even ditched her modelling career to pursue her glorious journey in sports.

Manika Batra is an inspiration for many women out there. She has established herself to be in the top 100 women's singles players. The Indian star is all set to bring more glory home. Looking back at her shining journey, here are her top five achievements:

5. Three Gold Medals at South Asian Games 2016

Manika Batra made India proud with a golden hat-trick. She brought three gold medals home from the 12th South Asian Games in 2016. The Indian player participated in the women's singles event with Pooja Sahasrabudhe. She played with Anthony Amalraj in mixed doubles and with Mouma Das and Shamini Kumaresan in the team event.

Batra hails from Naraina Vihar in Delhi. She said, "I'm helped by my fitness coach Jagdev Chauhan while my mother - Sushma - is always behind me. I'm thankful to them for such a glorious run."

4. India's Highest Ranked Female Player

Manika Batra is the highest-ranked female table tennis player from India. She won a historic gold medal at the Commonwealth Games 2018 due to her immense dedication. The Indian star is in the 63rd position in the world rankings. She is the top-ranked female table tennis player from India at the moment.

Besides that, her signature moves include playing long pimples on the backhand. It is a rubber that top players do not often play. Manika has outshone her competition so far, and this is just the beginning for her.

3. Breakthrough Award by ITTF

The model turned table tennis player is also the first Indian to receive the "Breakthrough Table Tennis Star" at the prestigious ITTF awards in South Korea.

After receiving the award, Manika said, "I am honoured and happy to have received the award. I feel 2018 has been the best year of my career, and I am glad for what I have achieved. I want to thank the Government, the Table Tennis Federation of India, and most importantly, my family, who has been there for me and motivated me along this journey."

2. Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award 2020

The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awards, which were announced in 2020, were the first of their kind. This time the awards were given to five individuals. Table Tennis player Manika Batra, Indian women's hockey team captain Rani Rampal, Wrestler Vinesh Phogat, Cricketer Rohit Sharma, and Para-High jumper Mariyappan Thangavelu were the recipients of the award.

Manika became the youngest one in the lot to be awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award in 2020 in an online ceremony for her commendable performance in table tennis. She made her first sport debut in 2014 and has aspired to make table tennis known sports.

1. First Indian woman to win gold in singles event

Her eyes glued to her goals, Manika Batra made her place in the sporting world by shining in the Commonwealth Games 2018. She became the first Indian woman to win a gold medal in the singles event by beating Yu Mengyu of Singapore. The 24-year-old Delhi paddler has dominated the women's singles events, and winning has become her forte now. She won four medals in four events which include two gold, one silver, and one bronze medal.

Batra also qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics by winning the South Asia Group Qualification tournament.