Bhavinaben scripts history, is 1st India paddler to secure medal in Paralympics
Tokyo, Aug. 27: Bhavinaben Patel on Friday scripted history by becoming the first Indian table tennis player to secure a medal in the Tokyo Paralympics, setting the tone for an upbeat contingent aiming for its best-ever finish at the Games.
Feeding off the momentum generated by India’s best showing at the preceding Olympics, Patel, competing in her maiden Paralympics, ensured a podium for herself by entering the semifinals with a stunning straightgame win over defending champion and world
number five Borislava Peric Rankovic of Serbia in the women’s singles Class 4 event.
The 34-year-old, who was diagnosed with polio when she was 12, beat her Serbian opponent 11-5, 116, 11-7 in a quarterfinal match that lasted 18 minutes. “I could win my match today due to the support of the people of India. Please keep supporting me so that I can win my semifinal match,” Patel said after the quarterfinal.
In the day’s other events, Indian powerlifter Sakina Khatun finished a creditable fifth in the women's 50kg category while compatriot Jaideep failed to log a single legal lift in the men’s 65kg event.
The 2014 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Khatun had the best effort of 93kg.
Tokyo, Aug. 27: Bhavinaben Patel on Friday scripted history by becoming the first Indian table tennis player to secure a medal in the Paralympics after she entered the semifinals with a stunning straightgame win over defending champion and world number 5 Borislava Peric Rankovic of Serbia in the women’s singles Class 4 event here.
The 34-year-old Indian beat her Serbian opponent 11-5, 11-6, 11-7 in a quarterfinal match that lasted 18 minutes.
She takes on Zhang Miao of China in the semifinals on Saturday but she is guaranteed of at least a bronze. There is no bronzemedal play-off in Tokyo Paralympics table tennis, and both losing semi-finalists are guaranteed of a bronze medal.
“It is sure that we can see a medal from her. Tomorrow morning’s match (semifinal) is a huge decider what colour of the medal she will win,” Paralympic Committee of India president Deepa Malik said in a video footage on her Twitter handle.
In 2017, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Governing Board had approved the International Table Tennis Federation’s request to remove the third-place play-off in all the medal events and award bronze to both the losing semi-finalists.
Earlier in the day, she had beaten Joyce de Oliveira of Brazil 12-10, 13-11, 11-6 in Round of 16 to become the first Indian table tennis player to reach the quarterfinals in the Paralympics.
Athletes in Class 4 category have fair sitting balance and fully functional arms and hands. Their impairment may be due to a lower spinal-cord lesion or cerebral palsy.
Compatriot Sonalben Manubhai Patel had lost both her group matches on Thursday to bow out of the competition.