Ravi Baby Sahana and Prachi Pandey
NEW DELHI: India scripted their best-ever performance in para table tennis at the Asian Para Games, securing five bronze medals in Aichi-Nagoya on Tuesday, with Ravi Baby Sahana and Prachi Pandey creating history by becoming the country's first players to win medals in the standing category at the continental showpiece.The five-medal haul took India past their previous best of two bronze medals at the last edition of the Games. Paralympics medallist Bhavina Patel and Sonalben Patel also finished on the podium after losing their respective women's singles semifinals, while Jehan Madan secured bronze in the men's singles Class 1 event.The landmark performance underlined India's growing presence in para table tennis, with medals coming across both standing and wheelchair categories.
Sahana, Prachi break new ground in standing category
Tamil Nadu's Sahana went down 8-11, 2-11, 4-11 to China's Mao Jingdian, a five-time Paralympic gold medallist, in the Class 9 semifinal.Prachi, who has a neurodegenerative disease, lost 9-11, 2-11, 8-11 to Iraq's reigning Paralympic champion Najlah Al-Dayyeni in the Class 6 last-four clash.Despite their defeats, both Indians secured bronze medals and made history as the country's first para table tennis players to reach the podium in the standing category at the Asian Para Games.
Class 9 is for standing athletes with physical impairments affecting their legs or playing arm, while Class 6 covers players with severe impairments affecting their arms and legs.
Bhavina, Sonalben and Jehan add to India's medal haul
Former Paralympic silver medallist Bhavina lost 7-11, 5-11, 7-11 to China's eight-time Paralympic champion Zhang Bian in the Class 4-5 semifinal. The 39-year-old from Gujarat thus secured her second consecutive Asian Para Games medal after winning doubles silver in 2018.
She is also a former Commonwealth Games gold medallist.Sonalben, a doubles silver medallist at the 2018 Jakarta Games, went down 7-11, 5-11, 6-11 to South Korea's defending champion Jiyu Yoon in the Class 3 semifinal.Jehan claimed bronze in the men's singles Class 1 event by virtue of finishing fourth in a five-player field. He won one of his four matches, while compatriot Sandeep Jangi finished last without a victory.India's five-bronze haul marked a significant milestone for the country's para table tennis campaign, with the historic standing-category medals adding special significance to its best-ever Asian Para Games showing.