14-year-old Divyanshi Bhowmick recently made India proud by winning the U-15 girls’ singles gold medal at the Asian Youth Table Tennis Championships held in Tashkent. She’s the first Indian in 36 years to achieve this big milestone after Subramanian Bhuvaneswari. She beat three strong Chinese players, including Liu Ziling, in a tough final where she made a great comeback despite being 6-9 down in the last set.
But despite this big win, there’s one thing that really scares Divyanshi – her Class 10 board exams.
Board Exam Fear > Big Matches
Divyanshi admitted she gets nervous thinking about her upcoming exams. “I feel scared and nervous about my boards. But I will study harder,” she said quietly.
It’s surprising to see someone who can handle high-pressure matches feel nervous about exams. But for Divyanshi, school is just as challenging as international sports.
Balancing Books and Sports
Divyanshi is currently ranked World No. 3 in the U-15 category. She trains almost 8 hours a day and travels for international tournaments. But once her training session ends in January, her full focus will shift to board exams in February and March.
“It’s tough to study after training because I feel tired, but I don’t have a choice,” she says. She’ll only get around 30 days to prepare for her boards.
Her father, Rahul Bhowmick, a top executive at a multinational company, doesn’t want to pressure her about marks. “We don’t expect anything. But she expects a lot from herself, which makes her nervous,” he says.
How It All Started
Divyanshi’s journey began during the COVID-19 lockdown at her home in Mumbai. Since she couldn’t go out, her father brought a table tennis table home. She started playing with her elder sister and dad—and quickly fell in love with the sport.
Her father, who used to play table tennis, noticed her talent early. “She reached the semi-finals in her first state tournament. That’s when we realized she had great potential,” he recalls.
A Day in Divyanshi’s Life
Her daily schedule is packed. “I practice from 7:30 AM to 11 AM, then attend tuitions, then again practice from 4 PM to 8:30 PM. Sometimes I even have tuition after 9 PM,” she says. Her father adds with a smile, “She would happily train for 10 hours if asked.”
All this hard work paid off in Tashkent. Her thrilling semi-final match comeback proved her determination and focus.
In November, she’ll represent India at the World Youth Table Tennis Championships in Romania. Her father believes, “If you can become an Asian champion, you can win at the world level too.”
Looking ahead, the family dreams of:
- Breaking into India’s top 5 and world top 100 in women’s category by 2026
- Qualifying for the 2028 Olympics
- Winning an Olympic medal
But for now, Divyanshi’s biggest goal is not the Olympics—it’s doing well in her board exams. Because in India, even champions must pass their toughest challenge—school exams—before chasing bigger dreams.
