Bhavina Patel, India’s first medal winner in Tokyo Paralympics 2020

Bhavina Patel has entered the final of the Table Tennis event in Tokyo Paralympics 2020, assuring India the first medal in the competition.

Bhavina Patel has assured India of a medal in the Tokyo Paralympics 2020. (Image credit: Twitter)
By Siddharth vishwanathan | Aug 28, 2021 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

In Table Tennis, be it Olympics and the Paralympics, the Chinese paddlers have established a benchmark of dominance that it is difficult to overcome. If anyone defeats a Chinese paddler, that itself is a claim to fame. More than a medal, beating a Chinese shuttler is itself a claim to fame. In the Tokyo Paralympics of 2020, one Indian shuttler has gone on to create history. She is now one step away from securing a historic gold medal in a sport where India or the rest of the world have never had success.

Bhavina Patel of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, is the first individual to have assured India of a medal in a sport that has seen unprecedented Chinese domination. Her run in the Tokyo Paralympics of 2020 has been nothing short of miraculous. The fact that she has managed to beat players ranked much higher than her speaks volumes of her brilliance.

A tough battle in life for Bhavina

Bhavina Patel’s journey to the Tokyo Paralympics 2020 has not been easy. Born in a middle-class family in Mehsana, Bhavina’s life journey was hit by tragedy even before she turned one. She was diagnosed with polio. She was taken to Vishakapatnam for surgery. The doctor had prescribed some exercises and a routine to follow but Bhavina could not follow it up. Her condition worsened and she was confined to a wheelchair.

After studying till Class 12 in Mehsana, Bhavina developed a passion for Table Tennis. Under some good and solid backing, Bhavina took some time to establish herself in the sport. She showed early promise, entering the quarterfinal in the 2010 Commonwealth Games but her first medal did not come until 2011. It was in the Thailand Para Table Tennis Open that she won a silver and two years later, she followed it up with another silver.

However, eight years later, Bangkok would be the venue where Bhavina would script history. She won a singles gold for the first time and also the doubles gold with Sonalben Patel. She had qualified for the Tokyo Paralympics 2020, which overcame her disappointment of not going to Rio 2016 due to ‘technical issues’.

A legendary streak for Bhavina Patel in Tokyo Paralympics 2020

Having overcome the disappointment of not making it to Rio 2016, Bhavina got tremendous support from Sports Authority of India. They provided her with an Ottobock Wheelchair and a table that suits Paralympic Table Tennis paddlers. Bhavina was participating in the Class 4 category. Paddlers in Table Tennis are classified from 1-5, with Class 4 indicating wheelchair mobility with fully functional hands. In her very first encounter, she lost to World No.1 Zhou Ying 0-3. But, rather than getting deflated, she bounced back in grand style. She defeated world number nine Megan Shackleton in an epic match. Against world number eight Joyce de Oliveira of Brazil, she was trailing in two games but she bounced back each time to win the contest.

In the quarterfinal, she was facing Borislava Rankovic of Serbia. The 49-year-old is a legend of the sport, having won multiple Paralympic and world medals. That win showed that Bhavina was in total command of her game. In the semi-final, against world number three Zhang Miao, she overcame the odds and managed to beat the Chinese paddler to enter the final where she will face Zhou Ying again.

In the space of four games, she has beaten top-ranked players and has assured India of a medal in Table Tennis.

Bhavina Patel charts a new course

Bhavina may or may not win the gold medal on Saturday. Zhou Ying, who is also polio-impacted, has won the Paralympic gold medal in the 2008 and 2012 Beijing and London Olympics. She has achieved tremendous success in the sport. But, Bhavina will be determined to ensure that she gives India the gold medal in the sport and break the Chinese domination.

India’s Paralympians have always charted history against the odds. They have more individual gold medals than the abled athletes of India. They achieved gold medal success much before 2008. India’s Paralympians have won gold in swimming, long jump, and javelin, something which other athletes have struggled in the past.

It will be no surprise if Bhavina Patel wins the gold in Table Tennis. If the sport has to get a major boost in the country, then credit will be given to Bhavina for charting a whole new path of glory. All 1.3 billion Indians will be praying on Sunday for Bhavina’s success.