Mumbai paddler Divyanshi Bhowmick defeated Zhu Qihui, of China 13-11, 11-8, 8-11, 12-10, 9-11, 11-8 to clinch the under-15 girls’ singles title at the 29th Asian youth table tennis championships in Tashkent on Tuesday. She has now secured a direct berth for the World youth championships in Romania.

The 14-year-old from Kandivali had earlier stunned Liu Ziling 4-3 in the semifinals in a seven-game thriller 10-12, 11-9, 11-6, 10-12, 11-9, 5-11, 11-9 to storm into the final. Divyanshi also defeated Chinese Yang Huize (3-1) in the quarterfnals. She became the first Indian girl since 1989 to win the U15 Girls’ Singles title at the event.

Prior to her career best show in Tashkent, Bhowmick had won the World Youth Championship silver medal in U15 girls' doubles and also became the national champion in U15 girls singles.

“My goal is to win the gold in Asian Youth Championships, and of course, my goal is to do well in the World (Youth) Championships this year as well. Ultimate dream is to win an Olympic medal for India and be a top 10 ranked table tennis player in my category, a dream I work day and night to try and achieve,” she told FPJ before leaving for the Tashkent event.

Divyanshi featured for Stanley's Chennai Lions in the Dream UTT Juniors recently and saw it as a good preparation for the Asian youth championships before the event. She accomplished the first goal and has benefited from Dream Sports Foundation and the UTT initiative to promote grassroots level table tennis in India and give young paddlers professional experience at the highest level.

“It was nice; I am really thankful to the Dream Sports Foundation and UTT for organising this. You could see the senior players, top players in front, go with them to training sessions, play with them and see you playing in front of me was great. I have my Asian Championships now,” she had said about the Ultimate Table Tennis Juniors League.

Divyanshi, a 10th standard student of Ryan International School, began her table tennis journey at the age of 10 and has made remarkable strides over the past five years. Interestingly, she got introduced to table tennis during Covid-19 lockdown.

“During the lockdown, we bought a table in our house and the full day I used to practice with my dad, my sister and then as soon as I was playing, I really started to like the game, then I started to win. My first inspirations were my mom and dad. My dad who is also my coach practices with me and guides me. My mom always travels with me and supports me,” she said.

“My dad is also my coach and I also practice in Bangalore under Anshuman Roy. They have helped me in many ways in terms of improving my game and making me work more on my fitness,” she added.

Divyanshi's idols are India's reigning women's table tennis stars Manika Batra and Sreeja Akula. She also had a comprehensive chat with Sreeja before the tournament.

“I want to work more on my fitness and form, as both need to be of a very high level to succeed in table tennis,” she said.

Outside the game, Divyanshi is known for her calm confidence and razor-sharp focus. She loves exploring new music and is an absolute foodie who enjoys trying out different cuisines