BY Nishad Bapat
Hyderabad: Divyanshi Bhowmick, a 14-year-old from Kandivali, Mumbai, is making waves in the world of Table Tennis. Her impressive performances in the junior circuit, including her recent triumph in the World Youth Asian Table Tennis championship, where she created history by becoming the first Indian to win gold in the tournament in 36 years, have been the talk of the town. In an exclusive interaction with ETV Bharat, Divyanshi reveals her journey so far and the factors which played a key role in her success.
How a robot and an immense family support helped her achieve success
More than her victory and incredible performances, how she has achieved success is really interesting. A Table Tennis robot bought by her father at her home helped her achieve success in a short time. The Indian Table Tennis fraternity now looks at the paddler as one of the emerging prospects.
Reflecting on the key role played by the Robot, Divyanshi explained that training with the robot helped her improve her block against opponents with a lot of spin in their game.
“I have a table at my house, so whenever I have free time, I practice with the robot. Chinese players hit a lot of spin, but Indian players do not really have that much spin. So, blocking with a robot really helped me improve my block. Practising one stroke with 50-60 balls has also helped me improve my strokes and ball control,” she said.
"Without the family support, it wouldn't have been possible. In the lockdown, when they got the table, I used to practice the whole day with my father and sister. And, last year, we got the robot. So, playing with it really improved my consistency, the ball control, and it has really helped me in my matches," she said.
Her interest in the sport developed during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020) when she started playing with her dad and sister.
2023 turned out to be a breakthrough year
Divyanshi, who trains at Ace Table Tennis Academy in Thane, started rising to fame in 2023. After winning the Nationals in 2021, she had a breakthrough two years later. Remembering her breakthrough year, Divyanshi said that the performance boosted her confidence to succeed at the international level.
"Winning the silver medal in the WTT Youth Championship was really a very nice moment for both of us. After winning, it gave us a lot of confidence that we could perform really well in the international circuit. After that, I am now World Rank 3 in U1-5 girls,” she stated.
She won seven titles in the WTT Youth Contender events between April and December 2023. She won the women’s singles titles at the Mumbai Suburban District Table Tennis Championship along with U-19, U-17 and U-15 girls titles. She also won silver in the U-15 doubles event with Jennifer Varghese at the ITTF World Youth Table Tennis Championship 2023, which was India’s first-ever silver in tournament history.
First Indian in 36 years to win gold at Asian Youth Table Tennis Championships
Bhowmick inked history by winning the Asian Youth Table Tennis Championships 2025 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. She became the first Indian in 36 years to win the U15 girls’ singles continental title. Her impressive campaign included wins against three Chinese opponents.
Explaining how she tackled the Chinese challenge, Devyanshi said that Indian foreign coach Massimo Costantini and her dad had strategies to beat the tough opponents.
"The Chinese in the Quarter-final and Semis had played with them before, and in my previous encounters had lost against them. So, I was a little nervous, but my coach and my dad analysed and gave me strategies in how I should play with them, and that really helped me a lot. After beating one Chinese opponent, it gave me a lot of confidence that I can beat all of them, and I went step by step after that," she explained.
Playing in UTT Juniors and support from the Dani Foundation
Divyanshi was part of the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Juniors, a tournament which aims to promote young Indian paddlers. She was also part of the tournament, and she featured for Stanley’s Chennai Lions. Her impressive record included three wins from four matches in the singles matches. Notably, she shared the locker room with Fan Siqui of China, who has won two WTT titles (Doha Contender 2022 and 2023).
She opined that the UTT had helped her grow as a player and also revealed how the Dani Foundation has helped her pursue her career in the sport.
"The tour was really special. We could travel with the top players and practice with them. Watching their matches up close and practising with them helped me a lot. I had a really nice talk with Shreeja (Akula) didi. I got to know a lot about her journey," she said.
"Dani Sports Foundation has helped me a lot. providing top nutritionists, fitness, and even helping me with my finances. I am really grateful."
