Star Indian para table tennis player Bhavina Patel won a gold medal in the women's singles class 3-5 at the Commonwealth Games 2022 on Saturday.
The 35-year-old from Gujarat, who had won a silver at Tokyo Paralympics, prevailed 12-10 11-2 11-9 over Nigeria's Ifechukwude Christiana Ikpeoyi to cap off a superb show at the quadrennial event.
Bhavina reached the world No. 2 ranking by winning the silver medal in the individual category at the 2011 PTT Thailand Open. Besides, she also won a silver medal in the women's singles class 4 at the Asian Para Table Tennis Championships in Beijing in 2013.
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In 2017, Bhavina bagged a bronze in the Asian Para Table Tennis Championships in Beijing. Sonalben Manubhai Patel also gave India a medal, claiming a bronze in women's singles class 3-5. The 34-year-old Indian beat England's Sue Bailey 11-5 11-2 11-3 in the bronze medal play-off.
However, Raj Aravindan Alagar lost to Nigeria's Isau Ogunkunle 0-3 in the men's singles classes 3-5 bronze medal play-off. Para powerlifter Sudhir had also won a gold medal after scripting a Commonwealth Games record in the men's heavyweight.
In para table tennis, classes 1-5 are for wheelchair athletes.
