Asian Para Games 2026: Bhavina Patel, Sonalben Patel win bronze in table tennis

Bhavina Patel (Image credit: X) India’s Bhavina Patel and Sonalben Patel won bronze medals in women’s table tennis singles at the 2026 Asian Para Games on Tuesday. Both players lost their semi-final matches but finished on the podium.Bhavina lost 7-11, 5-11, 7-11 to China’s Zhang Bian in the semifinals of the 4-5 bracket. Sonalben lost 7-11, 5-11, 6-11 against Jiyu Yoon of South Korea in the Grade 3 semifinals.

Bhavina Patel wins second bronze in a row

Bhavina, a former Paralympic silver medalist and Commonwealth Games gold medallist, suffered a straight games defeat against Zhang, an eight-time Paralympic gold medallist.The 39-year-old from Gujarat won silver at the 2018 Asian Para Games and bronze at the 2022 edition. Her latest medal brings her second consecutive bronze at the continental event.Zhang, 40, won silver at the previous Asian Para Games.The Class 4-5 category is intended for wheelchair athletes with lower limb disabilities who have good upper body control.

Sonalben Patel goes down on the defending champion

Sonalben failed to get past defending champion Jiyu Yoon in the Class 3 semifinals. The South Korean, a three-time Paralympic medalist, won the match in straight sets.Sonalben had earlier won silver in doubles at the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta.Category 3 is for wheelchair athletes who have limited trunk control and poor balance while sitting, but normal or near-normal arm and hand function.