Tokyo Paralympics: Marrying a sportsperson really helped me, my husband has been with me every step of the way, says silver medallist Bhavina Patel | Tokyo Paralympics News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: India’s para table tennis sensation Bhavina Patel, who became the first-ever Indian paddler to win a medal at the Paralympics, was diagnosed with polio as a 12-month-old. Being dependent on family members for every task, including getting ready for school, meals, travelling and studies was something Bhavina never liked and she wanted to get rid of the ‘dependent’ tag.
With years of hard work and determination, she made it to her maiden Paralympic Games and etched her name in the history books in style by winning a silver medal in the women’s singles – Class 4 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium — Table 6 in Tokyo. She lost 0-3 to China’s Zhou Ying 3-0 in the gold medal match.

(PTI Photo)
“I always thought I am a burden on my family. They had to assist me in every single thing. But they never complained. My parents have been a big support for me at every step. I saw myself as a burden. But I didn’t want to be a burden,” Bhavina told TimesofIndia.com in an interview from Tokyo.
The 34-year-old paddler defeated Borislava Peric-Rankovic of Serbia 11-5, 11-6, 11-7 in just 18 minutes in the quarterfinal. She, then, made her way to the final after defeating Zhang Miao of China 3-2.
“It was years of hard work that paid off. I worked on my calmness for two years. It is very important to know and handle your temperament in sports. I worked on keeping calm and my composure for two years. And I dedicate this success to the calmness I worked on,” she further said.

(PTI Photo)
“I am very happy with my performance. A gold would have been great, but I don’t regret it. I am happy to create history. My opponent was faster than me. She was more experienced than me. I have learned a lot from this. She was ahead of me in every department,” she said.
Bhavina also thanked her husband Nikul Patel, who has played junior cricket for Gujarat.
“Marrying a sportsperson benefitted me a lot. He was there with me every step of the way. He coached me and trained me. He has played cricket so he understands the psychology of a sportsperson. He took care of my diet, practice timings, maintained the time table for training, and most importantly he motivated me whenever I was down. My cricketer husband helped me in table tennis,” Bhavina, who hails from Sundhiya village in Mehsana district in Gujarat, further told TimesofIndia.com.

(ANI Photo)
CALL FROM PM MODI
After Bhavina won the silver, she received a call from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“It was an honour talking to our PM. He has done a lot for Indian sportspersons. He called and congratulated me and gave me a lot of confidence. Our Gujarat CM (Vijay Rupani) also called and congratulated me,” she said.
GOLD IN PARIS – THE NEXT BIG TARGET
Bhavina is 34, but she doesn’t want to stop here. Her next big target is winning the gold in the Paris Paralympics in 2024.
“I promise I will get gold in Paris. I am determined to do well in the upcoming tournaments. The Commonwealth Games and Asian Games are my main targets right now. The ultimate aim is to win the gold in the Paris Paralympics,” Bhavina signed off.