New Delhi: Indian table tennis player Bhavinaben Patel has created history by reaching the final of the Tokyo Paralympics. The 34-year-old Bhavina, who had confirmed the medal, is now just one step away from gold. So far no Indian woman has won gold in the Olympic and Paralympic Games and now Bhavina has a golden opportunity. Born in Vadnagar, Gujarat, the journey to the Paralympics has not been easy for Bhavina. He has fixed this position by defeating polio.
Bhavina was diagnosed with polio at the age of just 12 months. He was born in a middle-class family in Vadnagar, Gujarat. When Bhavina reached the fourth grade, her parents took her to Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh for surgery. According to the Sports Authority of India (SAI), Bhavina initially ignored the seriousness of polio disease and did not take proper care. This made his illness worse.
Bhavina studied till class 12 in her village itself and after that, her father got enrolled in Blind People’s Association, Ahmedabad in the year 2004. Here Bhavina did a computer course under the supervision of Tejalben Lakhia and did her graduation through correspondence from Gujarat University. Here Bhavina came to know that sports activities also take place in her organization. After this Bhavina started taking fitness training from her coach Lalan Doshi and gradually playing table tennis became her passion.
Three years later, in 2007, Bhavina won her first gold medal at the Para Table Tennis Nationals in Bangalore. He started his international career with Jordan but took some time to win his first medal. Patel participated in the 2010 Commonwealth Games but she lost in the quarterfinals. Bhavina’s first international medal came in 2011 at the Thailand Open where she won silver. After this, he also won the silver medal in the Asian Regional Championships for the first time in 2013.
After winning the singles, Bhavina started trying her hand in doubles as well. In doubles, he made Sonalben Patel his partner. Bhavina finally won her first gold in singles in Bangkok in 2019. He also got a gold medal in doubles. Bhavina has also won a medal in the Asian Para Games 2018. Patel was also selected for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games but was not able to play due to technical reasons, according to SAI. But she qualified for Tokyo Paralympics 2020 and became the first Indian woman to do so.
