Prithika Pavade, table tennis player from US Saint-Denis has just qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games this summer. The young woman has won all seven of her matches, including one against Czech No. 1 seed Hanna Matelova (51st in the world). The 390th player in the world will surely be the youngest athlete to represent the France at these Olympics. At only 16 years old, she has just taken a huge step, especially since initially, her entourage was preparing her for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Let's take a look back at his exceptional rise!
A course à la Mbappé…
Prithika Pavade had left a great memory in January 2018 in Questembert. On the occasion of a Federal criterium of number 1, the highest level, organized by the Bogue d'Or table tennis, she had dazzled the spectators with her talent. That day, Prithika Pavade won two podiums, in under 15 and under 18. Almost 4 years ago, when she was 12 years old during a TV report, there were already more than 70 journalists in her parents' living room. This testifies to the precocity of this player. She won her first France Minimes title at the age of 9 in a category up to 12 years old. In any case, his story is always written a step ahead. It's simple, you just have to know that she is junior France champion (2019) to guess that she is still only a cadet, or that she is European champion under 21 (2020) to know that she is only sixteen years old. 
And it is Ludovic Rémy, coach of the women's France team, who has been following her for many years, who can testify:
"In short, she was four years ahead of her generations.She has an incredible capacity for work, a simply extraordinary capacity for transcendence, an incredible capacity for analysis and a very important maturity. »
A gifted player with character
Finally, for Prithika Pavade, the one-year postponement of the Olympics was a godsend. In 2020, it was too early. The 390th player in the world has used this extra year to grow even more. But it took a lot of strength of character. First, because his long-time coach suddenly disappeared last October. A very hard event for the girl to live but it is as if this drama had given her an extra soul. Prithika Pavade's goal is to be an Olympic champion, which she has already said in peace despite her young age. Then, the young woman won in all categories of young people, while at the same time leading a brilliant schooling. The table tennis player is also a high school student. Prithika Pavade is used to distance learning, as she spends several months a year competing and juggles classes between matches. This does not prevent him from having an average of 18. The young table tennis player is gifted in all areas but keeps her head on her shoulders. Perhaps because his club in Saint-Denis is used to linking schooling and sport. Well surrounded, she has everything to reach the roof of the world, like a certain Kylian Mbappé.
