Asian Para Games: Bhavina Patel wins bronze in table tennis
Indian paddler Bhavina Patel secured a bronze medal in the Women's Singles Class 4-5 event at the Asian Para Games in Nagoya after a semifinal loss to China's Zhang Bian.
- Headline: Asian Para Games: Bhavina Patel wins bronze in table tennis
- Dispatch Summary: Indian paddler Bhavina Patel secured a bronze medal in the Women's Singles Class 4-5 event at the Asian Para Games in Nagoya after a semifinal loss to China's Zhang Bian.
- Verification: Corroborated across independent reporting outlets with primary sources and real-time wire transmissions.
Paddler Bhavina Patel Claims Bronze in Nagoya
Indian para-athlete Bhavina Patel secured a bronze medal in the Women's Singles Class 4-5 event at the 2026 Asian Para Games on Tuesday in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The 2020 Paralympics silver medallist bowed out of the singles competition after facing a 3-0 defeat to China's Zhang Bian in the semifinals, with set scores of 7-11, 5-11, and 7-11. Patel's podium finish marked India's first medal of Day 2, pushing the country's overall tally at the ongoing Games to 12 medals following an 11-medal haul on the opening day.
The 39-year-old Indian veteran from Gujarat is a former Commonwealth Games gold-winner and a silver medallist from the 2018 edition of the Games. Her semifinal opponent, the 40-year-old Zhang Bian, was a silver medallist at the previous Asian Para Games. The Class 4-5 classification is for athletes who have full upper body control but are on a wheelchair due to leg or lower-limb impairments. Patel had earlier beaten China's Miao Zhang 3-1 in the quarter finals to assure herself of a medal.
Parallel Triumphs Across the Indian Contingent
While Patel settled for bronze, the wider Indian delegation experienced a high-performing Tuesday across multiple disciplines in Aichi-Nagoya. Deepthi Jeevanji starred on the track by capturing gold in the women's 400m T20 event. The 23-year-old from Telangana clocked a Games record time of 56.36 seconds, finishing more than two seconds ahead of Japan's Niina Kanno, who took silver in 58.92 seconds, while Japan's Akane Kato claimed bronze with a time of 1:00.26. Jeevanji, a Paris Paralympics bronze medallist and 2024 world champion, had already set a new Asian Para Games record of 57.57 seconds in the heats.
In archery, Sheetal Devi broke another world record during the women's compound elimination Round of 16. A day after equalling the world record with a score of 704 out of 720 in the qualification round, Devi shot 149 to defeat Hong Kong's Chan Yuen Wah. Her score surpasses the previous elimination round world record of 148, held by Jessica Stretton for seven years. Meanwhile, in the men's javelin F53/F54 final, Pradeep Kumar secured a silver medal with a throw of 27.45m in the F54 category, and Ayush Verma won bronze in the F53 category with a throw of 17.88m, finishing behind Iran's Erfan Bondori, who claimed gold with a Games record throw of 30.24m.
Bhavina lost her Class 4-5 semifinal to China’s eight-time Paralympic champion Zhang Bian 0-3, while Sonalben too went down in straight games to three-time Paralympic medallist South Korea’s Jiyu Yoon in the Class 3 semifinals.
The Hindu
Additional medals flowed in from across the venue. Sonalben Patel won a bronze in the women's singles Class 3 table tennis event after a 0-3 defeat against South Korea's Yoon Jiyu with scores of 11-7, 11-5, 11-6. Baby Sahana Ravi added a bronze in the women's singles Class 9 event following a 0-3 loss to China's Mao Jingdian with set scores of 8-11, 2-11, and 4-11. In para-athletics, Praveen Kumar came up with a personal-best throw to clinch the bronze medal in the men's shot put F11 event with a throw of 13.86 metres, in a competition where Amirhossein Alipour of Iran set an Asian record with a throw of 14.99 metres to take the gold medal.
- Bhavina Patel secures bronze in Women's Singles Class 4-5 after a 3-0 semifinal defeat to China's Zhang Bian on Tuesday, October 20, 2026.
- Deepthi Jeevanji wins gold in the women's 400m T20 with a Games record of 56.36 seconds.
- Sheetal Devi sets a new elimination round world record of 149 in women's compound archery.
- Pradeep Kumar and Ayush Verma win silver and bronze respectively in the men's javelin F53/F54 final.
- Sonalben Patel and Baby Sahana Ravi claim bronze medals in women's singles Class 3 and Class 9 table tennis.
- Praveen Kumar wins bronze in the men's shot put F11 event with a throw of 13.86 metres.
Contrasting Fortunes in Racket Sports and Field Events
In para-badminton, the mixed SL3-SU5 pair of Pramod Bhagat and Manisha Ramdass advanced to the semifinals by defeating Thailand's Siripong Teamarrom and Chanida Srinavakul 21-15, 21-14 in just 25 minutes. However, recurve archer Pooja lost 2-6 to Malaysia's Chi Hui Loh in the round of 16, and Vijay Sundi was eliminated after losing in a shoot-off to Chinese Taipei.
In other technical events, Indian para-athlete Rakeshbhai Bhatt finished with no mark in the men's long jump T37/T38 event after failing to register a valid jump in his first two attempts and skipping his remaining four. Judoka Renuka Salave exited the women's J1 -70kg event after losing to Japan's Atsumi Nishimura by Ippon in 58 seconds.
The progression of athletes like Bhagat, Ramdass, and the various compound archers into the semifinals and quarterfinals establishes a foundation for India's ongoing campaign.
