Asian Para Games: Tokyo medalist Bhavina Patel gets off to a winning start

Tokyo Paralympic silver medalist Bhavina Patel got her Asian Para Games campaign off to a winning start by defeating Kuwait’s Ahad Alrasheedi in her opening match in the women’s para table tennis competition on Friday.

Bhavina defeated her Kuwaiti opponent 3-0 (11-6, 11-3, 11-6) in the Class 4-5 women’s singles match in Group A to start her campaign on a positive note.

Classes 4 and 5 in para table tennis are for wheelchair athletes with greater functional abilities than those in the lower classes. Players in these categories have varying degrees of sitting balance, core stability, and arm control, with Class 5 athletes generally having better functional ability than those in Class 4.

Baby Sahana Ravi also started her campaign with a comfortable win as she defeated Vietnam’s Thi Hoa Phuong Nguyen 3-0 (11-6, 11-5, 11-4) in her Class 9 Group B Women’s Singles match.

Class 9 is a permanent category in para table tennis. It includes athletes with a mild physical disability affecting the legs or playing arm as well as athletes with a severe non-playing arm disability.

Shubham Wadhwa also won his opening Group 3 men’s singles match, defeating Nepal’s Keshav Thapa 3-0 (11-6, 11-4, 11-9). The Indian produced a composed performance to seal the match in straight games and start his campaign on a winning note.

Class 3 is a wheelchair category for athletes with significant limitations in sitting balance and trunk control. Players in this class generally have normal or near-normal arm and hand function, although their ability to control their body while playing is limited.

Another Indian para-athlete Jehan Madan got his campaign off to a flying start by defeating compatriot Sandeep Dangi 3-1 (11-8, 12-10, 10-12, 11-6) in the Men’s Singles Group 1 event.

Madan won the first two games before Dangi claimed the third. However, Madan regained control in the fourth game to complete the victory and start his campaign with a win.

Class 1 is the most severely affected category among para table tennis wheelchair athletes. Players in this class have very limited sitting balance and significant limitations in the function of their playing arm. These limitations can result from conditions such as spinal cord injury or paralysis.

The opening win gave Indian Para Table Tennis a positive start to its Asian Para Games campaign where Bhavina, Sahana, Wadhwa and Madan registered wins in their group matches.

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