UNSPLASH
Imagine a 12‑year‑old girl travelling almost 900 km, competing in a national table tennis tournament and returning home with a medal within four days after her mother and younger brother met with a severe accident.
Tanishka Kapil Kalbahrava’s story may seem surreal and her maturity, beyond her age. But her ability to not lose sight of her goal despite emotional upheavals is a testament to her fortitude that makes her cut above the rest in her age group.
“We have faced one big challenge when my wife and son met with a severe accident,” says father, Kapil Kalbahrava, 45. “We were completely shaken. My wife was supposed to travel for nationals in Vadodara. However, she (Tanishka) went with my mother‑in‑law and returned home with a medal,” the proud parent tells DHNS.
But how and when did this passion for the sport and winning start?
It is all interesting because table tennis was not the first sport Tanishka picked. She only held a racket after not finding swimming and skating interesting enough.
Just when things started to look good, the pandemic struck and brought the sporting community to its knees. When strict mandates and tournament postponements were the norm, Tanishka doubled her effort in practice.
“During Covid, she started increasing her training sessions. There was no school and she used to get extra study time. She trained for six to seven hours. And at times, even for nine. That period was the turning point.”
The early mornings, the strict diets and the tight schedules had slowly started to pay off. The paddler didn’t travel for the joys of it—she travelled for the joy of winning.
“She went to Bangkok for an under‑11 tournament. About two weeks before, her coach had a heart attack and did not travel. She not only travelled but also got home a gold medal,” he said.
The WTT Youth Contenders’ winning spree just took off. After a gold (U‑15) and a silver (U‑13) in Tashkent, she then bagged silver medals in Sweden and Norway.
Back in India, the medals only doubled at the State‑ranking tournaments.
The 14‑year‑old won gold medals in U‑15, U‑17, U‑19 and MSE categories in Bengaluru. She then followed it up with gold in the U‑15 and U‑19 and silver in the U‑17 and women’s in Nangalur.
Name: Tanishka Kapil Kalbahrava
Age: 14
From: Belagavi
Accolades:
• WTT Youth Contender
• Bangkok (U‑11, gold)
• WTT Tashkent (U‑15, gold)
• (U‑13, silver)
• WTT Norway (U‑13, silver)
• WTT Sweden (U‑13, silver)
Ranking: World No. 12 (U‑13); India No. 1 (U‑13)