The second coming of Divya Gohil

AHMEDABAD: Former Gujarat number one Divya Gohil's triumph in the women's singles category in the 3rd Open Gujarat Major Ranking Table Tennis Tournament in Anand has done two things to Gujarat Table Tennis. First, finally there is some competition for Frenaz Chipia, for otherwise the women's section was becoming too easy for her, especially after her stint at the India camp recently. Secondly, Divya's comeback has given the Gujarat women's team a rather formidable look.
Once the Queen Bee of Gujarat TT, Divya slowly faded away from the scene soon after her marriage in 2013. Many thought that they have seen the last of Divya the paddler, whose game was as exquisite as her personality.
“I was out for two years due to a severe back problem (increased gap in the last two columns of the spine) but I always hoped to stage a comeback," said Divya, who was the top-ranked player in Gujarat for six years at a stretch, from 2002 to 2008.
"My injury was so bad that I had to go under the knife. Now it is relatively fine, but some more rest could have been better. I could take just one month rest after my surgery. I had to get back to the table as the season was about to start. So I could just practice for 10 days before the season opener in Godhara. Yet, I had a satisfactory meet by my standards," said Divya and added: "In the next tournament in Porbandar I could see some improvement in my game and I was happy that my hard work is paying. But what happened in Anand was like a dream, it was my tournament, I was playing flawless TT and felt that I was again at the top of my game from the quarterfinal onwards."
Thrilled with her second coming, Divya, who works for India Post in Bhavnagar, said: "Even during the break, I never thought of quitting. But that I will be able to beat Frenaz (Chipia) and win a tournament so early was something I had never thought of. Frenaz is playing the best TT of her life at the moment.”
With good support from her husband Krashndev and her in-laws now, she wants to continue from where she had left before the break. "My first target is to win a medal for Gujarat in the senior nationals. After what I saw in the last three tournaments, I can proudly say that Gujarat now has a really strong girls team that can win medals in the senior nationals," said Divya, with more certainty and conviction than at the start of the season.