Bhavina Patel ends with Silver

TOKYO: There was no fairy-tale ending as Bhavina Patel's sensational run in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games ended with a silver medal as she lost to world No. 1 Zhou Ying of China in straight games in the final of the women's table tennis Class 4 on Sunday.

Bhavina thus made history for India on National Sports Day by becoming the first table tennis player from the country to win a medal in the Paralympic Games.

The silver she won is India's first medal at Tokyo 2020 and 13th overall — 4 gold, 5 silver, and 4 bronze.

Bhavina, ranked 12th in the world, had made an incredible run to the final by beating the gold and silver medallist of the 2016 Rio Paralympics. On Sunday, she found Zhou, winner at Beijing 2008 and London 2012, too strong to handle and lost 3-0 (7-11, 5-11, 6-11) in a 19-minute encounter in women's singles Class 4.

The 34-year-old Bhavina, who lost to the best player in the world and one who is far more experienced and superior to her, became the first Indian table tennis player to win a medal at the Paralympics.

She also became only the second Indian female athlete to win a medal in the Paralympics after Deepa Malik, who bagged silver in shot put F43 in 2016. IANS

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