Tokyo Olympics: Prithika Pavade, the prodigy of French table tennis

Audio 04:20

Table tennis player Prithika Pavade, soon to be 17, will be the youngest of the French Olympic Team in Tokyo.

AFP - FRANCK FIFE

Text by: Eric Mamruth

10 mins

Almost 17 years old, she will be in Tokyo the youngest of the French Olympic team, born on August 2, 2004. The table tennis player Prithika Pavade has achieved the feat of being one of the 70 players qualified for the Olympic table tennis tournament. .

This 1.61-meter-high Ile-de-France is a real phenomenon, some even speak of a gifted person.

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Crowned European champion in 2016,

Emmanuel Lebesson

is 33 years old, double the age of Prithika Pavade. He is impressed by the maturity shown by his brand new partner in the French team: “ 

Prithika, it's true that he's a prodigy. She is extraordinarily mature for her age, she understands a lot more things faster than everyone else. I have the impression that she has already understood things that I barely knew at 26, 27, he

says

. She has the talent but she also has the work. Talent can be innate, but hard work is not and Prithika has both, she understood how it worked. Someone who qualifies for the Olympics on their first try, that's really impressive. An Olympic qualification is so difficult mentally and psychologically and she succeeded! Today we have never had that in France so we can say that Prithika is a phenomenon.

"

Phenomenon, gifted or prodigy ... So many flattering superlatives that do not go to the head of Prithika Pavade.

“ 

Yes, it's definitely rewarding but you still have to keep your feet on the ground because for me the most important thing is still training and work, she

confides

.

My biggest goal would be to become an Olympic champion, of course, but I don't think that sort of result comes out of thin air.

It necessarily requires a lot of work and that's what I do.

For now, it's working pretty well, so we have to continue…

”

Harry Potter Fan

Since she was seven, this Harry Potter fan has turned her racket into a magic wand. She is driven by an ability to concentrate rarely seen at her age, according to her trainer Ludovic Remy. “ 

His ability to concentrate is indeed extraordinary, but also his capacity for analysis during his matches. She puts a lot of intensity into building her workouts and everything she does, he

says

. Prithika is always in action, always wants to move forward, to be efficient and successful. She always wants to learn, that's really her great strength.

 "

Already European champion under 21, Prithika Pavade is only 400th in the world in senior but her ambition is limitless.

Patrick Chila, bronze medalist at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, admits his admiration.

“ 

Prithika is already a good girl, very respectful and very professional.

But what's particularly rare at her age is that she knows how to make the right choices at the right times, he

says

.

In addition, it feels like the pressure is sliding on her.

She knows her worth but doesn't have a big head at all.

Against any player, Prithika will come out victorious.

Even against the world number one, she will think she can win and that is the caliber of champions.

She has zero complexes

.

"

Prithika, the quiet force

If Prithika Pavade cultivates work and ambition, she does so with humility and relaxation. So many values ​​transmitted by her Indian parents, in particular her father, once a good level player, and who introduced her to table tennis. “ 

In India, when I went there, you can tell it's fresh! There are no super important things, it's serene. We take almost everything with a joke, everything well, she has

fun

. My parents always told me to try to adapt to everything, not to be complicated but also to stay natural. Not to force myself to be someone else, just to be myself.

 "

Serene and natural, the table tennis player from Villepinte will try to stay that way in Tokyo despite the wonder of her very first Olympic Games: " 

It's true that it's going to be huge, I already feel a lot of desire and excitement,

" she does

.

But I'm going to try to find the balance between enjoying and performing: knowing how to be focused when needed and more relaxed when needed.

 "

If Prithika Pavade impresses with her maturity and her gifts, she is nonetheless a peaceful 16-year-old high school student, lover of TV series, tiramisu and more or less good jokes.

" 

I am really very good audience, I laugh for nothing, she

launches in a giggle

.

If anyone needs reassurance about their humor, I'm here!

 "  

In Tokyo, Prithika Pavade will be fielded in women's singles as well as in women's doubles with her 36-year-old partner Jianan Yuan.

The goal for the young table tennis player is to gain as much experience as possible in order to perform well at the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024.

► To read also: Tokyo Olympics: Gina Bass, the Gambian boss

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