Fremont resident Krish Avvari looks like a normal 10-year-old – but get him on a ping-pong table and it is suddenly clear that this young man is a prodigy when he has a paddle in his hand. Avvari is ranked as the Number 1 table tennis player among boys under age 12 in the country. Much of his table tennis tutelage has come at Milpitas’s India Community Center (ICC), where Krish practices a few hours a day, several days a week.

Recently, Tri-City Voice was able to learn a little about Avvari and his background in the sport.

Tri-City Voice: Do you have any siblings, and if so, what are their names and ages? And what are your parents' names?

Krish: I have a 16-year-old sister, Manaswini Avvari. My dad is Murthy Avvari, and my mom is Gavatri Avvari.

TCV: What school do you go to, what grade are you in, and what is your favorite school subject?

Krish: I go to Challenger School in Ardenwood and I’m going into 5th grade. My favorite school subjects are math and science.

TCV: How did you first become involved in table tennis?

Krish: My dad enrolled me in ICC for a table tennis class and I liked it very much. I used to go to soccer and swimming, but I didn’t like them as much as table tennis.

TCV: Why do you believe you have had success in table tennis? What are your strengths in the game?

Krish: I always had support and encouragement from my parents, coaches, and of course my sister. I continuously practice every day, even when I am not at ICC. I think my strength is that I have a strong and powerful serve.

TCV: Describe some of your greatest memories and personal highlights in table tennis. (Matches/tournaments won or lost, etc.)

Krish: It happened on a night one year ago in December. On that night, I had just won an event in the ICC tournament. I was playing a man named John in the semifinals. He put up a great fight for me. Somehow, I had managed to beat him even though I barely won. When I came home, my sister came up and cheered for me very loudly. My mom, well she was calm, but she told me congratulations. That is one night I will never forget.

TCV: What are your interests outside of table tennis? (Hobbies, movies, music, etc.)

Krish: I like to read in my spare time, but most of my time is in ICC playing Table tennis!

TCV: What are your goals in table tennis, and in life? What do you think you would like to do as a career when you are an adult?

Krish: My goal is to get to the Olympics and maybe coach other kids later on. I would like to be a doctor or a table tennis coach/player.