PAVADE Prithika

Grip
Shakehand (results.ittf.link, 01 Mar 2021)

Style of play
Attack (results.ittf.link, 01 Mar 2021)

General
SURPRISE OLYMPIC QUALIFICATION
She originally did not intend to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo because of her age, instead focusing on the 2024 Games in Paris. But after the postponement of the 2020 Games by one year, she decided to enter the 2021 European Olympic Singles Qualification Tournament in Guimaraes, Portugal. The tournament was only her second tournament as a senior, and despite being seeded 34th she made it to the last four, which included a victory over the number one seed, Czech player Hana Matelova, before winning her semifinal against the number three seed, Russian player Yana Noskova, to secure her qualification for Tokyo. "The Olympics are the major tournament, I did not expect to achieve it so soon. I played against very experienced players so I'm happy. I never thought I would be at the Olympic tournament in Japan. I hoped it would happen at Paris 2024. Honestly, I did not dare to dream. I saw it as an opportunity to develop my game, as freely as possible. It's a dream for me to participate in the Games." ?(leparisien.fr, 24 Apr 2021; insidethegames.biz, 24 Apr 2021; tellerreport.com, 27 Apr 2021; results.ittf.link, 01 Mar 2021; sportmag.fr, 26 Apr 2021)

FACE OF 2024 GAMES
She was chosen as one of 24 French athletes to feature in the nation's publicity campaign to host the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. She appeared in posters in France promoting Paris' bid, alongside French athletes like judoka Teddy Riner, footballer Zinedine Zidane and swimmer Laure Manaudou. "Paris in 2024, it would be a dream of participating, I will be 20 years old then." (leparisien.fr, 04 Dec 2021; theindianpaper.com, 24 Apr 2021)

LOSS OF LONG TERM COACH
In October 2020, her coach Nicolas Grenier, passed away from cardiac arrest while cycling at age 43. He was coach of the French junior women's team at the National Institute of Sport, Exercise, and Performance [INSEP] and had coached her since she was age six. "It's been a hard year for table tennis but also emotionally. But you have to bounce back, that's life, it's like that. Within the club [US Saint-Denis Table Tennis], we want to do well for Nicolas. It is obvious that it is present in all of our heads." (leparisien.fr, 24 Apr 2021; leparisien.fr, 04 Dec 2019)

She and women's doubles partner Camille Lutz won France's first ever medal in any women's event at the junior world championships, when they claimed bronze in women's doubles at the 2019 Junior World Championships in Korat, Thailand. (SportsDeskOnline, 01 Jun 2021; leparisien.fr, 04 Dec 2019)