Tanishka’s courage and conviction sowing an Olympic dream

Bengaluru: 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 meet with a severe accident. 

Tanishka Kapil Kalbhairav’s story may seem surreal and her maturity, beyond her age. But her ability to not lose sight of her goal despite emotional upheaval is a testament to her fortitude that makes her a cut above the rest in her age group.

“We faced one big challenge when my wife and son met with a severe accident,” her father, Kapil Kalbhairav, recalls. “We were completely shattered. 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 DH. 

But how and when did this passion for the sport and winning start?

It is all interesting because table tennis was not even 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 quarantines 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 joy 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 tourneys. The 14-year-old won gold medals in U-15, U-17, U-19 and NMS 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 Mangaluru.

Talking about her routines and aspirations, “I wake up at 5:20am and get ready for fitness class. I then attend practice from 7 to 11. After training, I go to tuitions and comeback home for lunch. After some rest, 4 to 8 is again practice before tuitions at 9. I don’t see it as a sacrifice; I just want to win gold at the Olympics,” Tanishka said.

However, it has not been all sunshine with finance for the family. Their measured gamble on spending on tournaments outside of India has seen medals but the pocket has taken a hit. 

With several competitions coming up, they are in dire need of sponsorship, “a need of the hour”, in her father’s words, for the talent to keep winning and reach its full potential.

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Tanishka Kapil Kalbhairav