I’ve been in tears every morning since CWG defeat: Manika Batra

Manika Batra during the women’s singles event at the Birmingham CWG recently. Pic/PTI

India table tennis champ Manika Batra has apologised for her failure to win a medal at the recent Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Manika, who won four medals (gold in women's singles, gold in women's team event, silver in women's doubles and bronze in mixed doubles) at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, took to social media to issue an apology. "I am sorry to my country and to its people who were hoping and cheering for me. At this CWG I could only make it till the quarter-finals and yes, I am very upset," Batra, 27, wrote to her 384,000 Instagram followers.

Batra, who won a historic bronze medal in the mixed doubles event at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, added that she has been crying daily since her defeat in the women's singles quarter-finals in Birmingham to Singapore's Jian Zeng. "I am in tears every morning from the day I lost that match. But I promise I will come out of this stronger and will work hard each and every day with the same hunger," she added.

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At the 2022 CWG, Batra also lost in the quarter-finals of the women's team event and the mixed doubles event (both 2-3 to Malaysia).

The Indian table tennis team bagged seven medals at Birmingham. Sharath Kamal won a gold in the men's singles and mixed doubles (partnering Sreeja Akula) events and silver in the men's doubles, alongside G Sathiyan, who won bronze in the men's singles. India also won the men's team event, beating Singapore. In para table tennis, India's Bhavina Patel bagged a gold, while Sonalben Patel won a bronze medal.