Bhavinaben Patel wins Paralympic silver in Tokyo: President, PM lead country to hail para-paddler

President
Ram
Nath
Kovind
and
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi
led
the
country
in
congratulating
Patel,
as
she
became
only
the
second
Indian
woman
to
win
a
medal
at
the
Paralympics
after
she
signed
off
with
a
historic
silver
following
a
0-3
loss
to
world
number
one
Chinese
paddler
Ying
Zhou
in
the
women’s
singles
table
tennis
class
4
final.

“Bhavina
Patel
inspires
the
Indian
contingent
and
sportslovers
winning
silver
at
#Paralympics.
Your
extraordinary
determination
and
skills
have
brought
glory
to
India.
My
congratulations
to
you
on
this
exceptional
achievement,”
President
Kovind
tweeted.

The
34-year-old
Patel’s
impressive
run
at
the
Games
ended
with
a
fighting
7-11
5-11
6-11
loss
to
Zhou,
a
two-time
gold
medallist,
in
the
women’s
singles
summit
clash
which
lasted
19
minutes.

With
this
medal,
Indian
team
opened
its
account
at
the
Games.
Prime
Minister
Modi
said
Patel’s
feat
is
a
motivation
for
youngsters.

“The
remarkable
Bhavina
Patel
has
scripted
history!
She
brings
home
a
historic
Silver
medal.
Congratulations
to
her
for
it.
Her
life
journey
is
motivating
and
will
also
draw
more
youngsters
towards
sports.
#Paralympics,”
he
tweeted.

Modi
also
spoke
to
Patel
and
congratulated
her
on
the
remarkable
feat.
He
also
wished
her
the
very
best
for
her
future
endeavours.
Patel
hails
from
Sundhiya
village
in
Vadnagar,
Mehsana
in
Gujarat,
and
Modi
told
her
that
he’s
been
to
Sundhiya
often
and
enquired
if
her
family
is
still
there.
Bhavina
told
him
that
her
parents
are
still
there.

Finance
Minister
Nirmala
Sitharaman
and
Congress
leader
Rahul
Gandhi
also
took
to
the
social
networking
site
to
wish
Patel
on
her
success.
“Congratulations
#BhavinaPatel
on
winning
the
Silver
medal
in
#ParaTableTennis.
Your
perseverance
and
success
shall
shall
as
motivation
for
many,”
Sitharaman
wrote
on
her
handle.

Rahul
Gandhi
added:
“Congratulations
to
Bhavina
Patel
for
winning
the
#Silver
.
India
applauds
your
achievement.
You’ve
done
the
nation
proud.”
India’s
first
individual
gold
medallist
shooter
Abhinav
Bindra
also
saluted
Patel’s
“mental
resilience”.

“Fantastic
performance
by
@BhavinaPatel6
to
bag
a
silver
and
open
India’s
account
in
the
#Tokyo2020
@Paralympics.
Wonderful
show
of
skill
and
mental
resilience.
Extremely
proud!
#Praise4Para,”
he
tweeted
along
with
a
letter.

Union
Cabinet
Minister
Kiren
Rijiju
congratulated
Bhavina
for
her
historic
feat
and
tweeted,
“On
#NationalSportsDay
India
strikes
first
medal
at
the
#Tokyo2020
#Paralympics
as
Bhavina
Patel
won
silver
medal
in
Table
Tennis
and
made
India
proud.
Congratulations
#BhavinaPatel
!
#Cheer4India.”

India’s
London
Olympics
bronze
medal
winner
Saina
Nehwal
also
congratulated
Bhavina
and
tweeted,
“Congratulations
Bhavina
Patel
for
winning
Silver
Medal…
#TokyoParalympics
#TableTennis
#Tokyoparalympics2020
…
Jai
Hind.”

Olympian
shot-putter
Tajinder
Pal
Singh
Toor
also
hailed
Bhavina
for
her
achievement
and
tweeted,
“This
National
Sports
Day
let’s
take
a
vow
to
make
sports
a
way
of
our
lives
&
congratulations
to
@BhavinaPatel6
for
your
feat.
#KeepPlaying
#NationalSportsDay2021”

Deepa
Malik,
who
is
the
current
president
of
Paralympic
Committee
of
India
(PCI),
was
the
first
Indian
woman
to
win
a
medal
in
the
Paralympic
Games
when
she
had
claimed
a
silver
in
shotput
at
Rio
five
years
back.

Congratulating
Patel
for
her
medal,
Malik
said:
“It
is
absolutely
stunning
to
see
Bhavina’s
performance,
the
way
she
has
played
the
competition
it
has
absolutely
stunned
the
opponents.

“Her
game,
skill,
patience,
her
coming
back,
the
way
she
has
kept
her
focus,
it
is
beyond
words,
it
is
world
class.
“This
is
the
skill
and
calmness
that
has
made
her
achieve
the
feat
of
silver
at
Paralympics
and
our
silver
girl
has
given
this
gift
to
the
nation
on
national
sports
day,
which
is
the
most
apt
day
to
create
history
for
any
sports
person.”

Malik
said
Patel
has
shattered
the
taboos
around
disability.
“On
a
personal
level,
I
feel
it
is
a
passing
on
the
baton.
I
always
wanted
women
participation
to
come
forward..so
that
we
can
create
inclusively,
shatter
this
stereotype
and
taboo
around
disability
and
Bhavina
has
just
done
that.”

Former
cricketers
Virender
Sehwag,
VVS
Laxman
and
Anil
Kumble
also
congratulated
the
wheelchair
paddler
for
her
historic
medal.

“Congratulations
to
#BhavinaPatel
for
creating
history
by
winning
India’s
first
silver
medal
in
women’s
singles
class
4
table
tennis
event
at
the
ongoing
#TokyoParalympics.
A
wonderful
display
of
focus
,
hardwork
and
mental
strength,”
Sehwag
wrote.

Laxman
tweeted:
“Silver
medal
for
India.
Many
Congratulations
to
#BhavinaPatel
who
has
created
history
by
becoming
the
first
Indian
para-paddler
to
win
a
medal
in
#Paralympics
history.”
Kumble
added:
“Congratulations
#BhavinaPatel
Proud
of
you.”

(With
PTI
inputs)