Champion paddler Diya Chitale focussing on smaller goals

Mumbaibased table tennis prodigy Diya Chitale 17 who won the youth singles title in the Junior and Youth National TT Championships in Indore recently is seen as a medal prospect for the 2024 Paris Olympics but the teenage paddler wants to take it step by step towards her ultimate goalChitale who got the better of Karnatakarsquos Yashaswini Ghorpade 811 117 118 1012 511 118 112 in the summit clash to retain her crown has already planned her course to claim the ultimate glory like a toplevel athleteWinning an Olympic gold is my ultimate goal But to win a medal I need to first qualify for the Olympics Im taking it set by step If I think about the end result only it will not help me I need to keep working hard and focus on smaller goals My first few goals are to do well in the 2022 Commonwealth Games and to better my world ranking Chitale told middaycomShe has already started training in Germany and Japan to learn the different style of play and is plying her trade in foreign leagues to create a unique style of playI train in Germany with Peter Engle former India national team coach and it has helped me a lot as he has a lot of experience He focuses on small details of the game and strategies Ive learned a lot from him I also play in the league there against the European players and that has given me a lot of confidence said ChitaleI also train in Japan to learn the Asian style of play They are one of the top countries in TT Getting to learn how the Asian players play has enhanced my game too she addedThe paddler hopes India too will have a sporting culture soon similar to Asian powerhouse like ChinaIndia paddler Diya Chitale after winning the youth singles national TT title at Indore recentlyWe need a sports culture like in China where they start training at a very young age In India people take up sport very late But it is changing off late Earlier when players were in Class 10th or 12th they had to decide on either of the one And many people would take up education But that is changing now Many people are taking up sports as a career in India too Chitale statedChitale who secured her first title on the ITTF World Junior Circuit at the Ghana Junior and Cadet Open in 2019 is finding it difficult to balance studies and sportFor me balancing education and sports is very difficult Till Class 10 I was in Arya Vidya Mandir Bandra so the school supported me by taking extra classes and scheduling exams during my off season Now Irsquom in Class 12th and Irsquom doing open schooling so I try to study whenever I find time My first priority is always sports and during the tournament I donrsquot find much time but when there are no tournaments I try to study whenever I get time after my practice session Chitale explainedFor inspiration and motivation Chitale looks up to India star paddlers Achanta Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra and feels their performances at the toplevel lifts the confidence of youngsters like herWith Sharath bhaiya and Manika didi performing so well at the International level youngsters get a lot of confidence and motivation from them as they feel they too can do well at the toplevel she signed off