‘Every medal we win will inspire millions’: Sachin, Sehwag, Ganguly, others congratulate Bhavinaben for clinching silver

Indian paddler Bhavinaben Patel scripted history on Sunday as she clinched a silver medal at the Paralymics games in Tokyo. Her promising run ended with a fighting 7-11 5-11 6-11 loss to China’s Ying Zhou in the women’s singles table tennis class 4 final.

The social media was flooded with congratulatory messages after Bhavinaben became only the second Indian woman, after Deepa Malik, to win a medal at the Paralympics. With this medal, Indian team opened its account in Tokyo.

People form India cricket fraternity took the microblogging site and wished the para-athlete on her historic achievement. Here are some of the reactions:

Bhavinaben dedidated her silver medal to her friends, family members and all the organisations who helped her perform at the Paralympics.

“I dedicate this medal to those who supported me, PCI, SAI, TOPS, Blind People Association and too all my friends and family,” Patel said after winning the medal.

“This medal is also dedicated to my coach who always supported me and gave hard training for which I could reach this stage. Special thanks to my physio, dietician, sports psychologist. They are who always motivated me,” she added.

In the first game, Zhou broke off from 3-3 to move ahead. Patel tried to keep herself within touching distance with a superb serve at 5-7 and a forehand flick but the Chinese managed to earn the bragging right with a deep push at the baseline.

The second game was a one-way traffic as Zhou jumped to a 7-1 lead early on. Patel narrowed it down to 4-7 but the Chinese soon grabbed a 2-0 lead.

Pushed to the brink, Patel tried to script a recovery as she moved neck and neck with her opponent till 5-5 in the third game. But Zhou once again moved ahead and sealed the contest with a backhand shot.

(With PTI Inputs)