Asian Para Games: Tokyo medallist Bhavina Patel makes winning start

Tokyo Paralympics silver medallist Bhavina Patel began India's Asian Para Games campaign in para table tennis on a winning note, defeating Kuwait's Ahad Alrasheedi 3-0 in the women's singles Class 4-5 Group A match on Friday.Asian Para Games: Tokyo Paralympics silver medallist Bhavina Patel makes winning start (Reuters Photo)New Delhi,Oct 16, 2026 16:32 ISTTokyo Paralympics silver medallist Bhavina Patel made a winning start to her Asian Para Games campaign, defeating Kuwait's Ahad Alrasheedi in her opening match in the women's para table tennis competition on Friday.Bhavina beat her Kuwaiti opponent 3-0 (11-6, 11-3, 11-6) in the women's singles Class 4-5 Group A match to begin her campaign on a positive note.Classes 4 and 5 in para table tennis are for wheelchair athletes with greater functional ability than those in the lower classes. Players in these categories have varying degrees of sitting balance, core stability and arm control, with Class 5 athletes generally having better functional ability than those in Class 4.Baby Sahana Ravi also began her campaign with a comfortable victory, defeating Vietnam's Thi Hoa Phuong Nguyen 3-0 (11-6, 11-5, 11-4) in her women's singles Class 9 Group B match. Class 9 is a standing category in para table tennis. It includes athletes with mild physical impairments affecting their legs or playing arm, as well as those with severe impairments affecting their non-playing arm.Shubham Wadhwa also won his opening men's singles Class 3 group match, beating Nepal's Keshav Thapa 3-0 (11-6, 11-4, 11-9). The Indian produced a composed performance to seal the match in straight games and get his campaign off to a winning start. Class 3 is a wheelchair category for athletes with significant limitations in sitting balance and trunk control. Players in this class generally have normal or near-normal arm and hand function, although their ability to control their body while playing is restricted.Another Indian para athlete, Jehan Madan, made a bright start to his campaign by defeating compatriot Sandeep Dangi 3-1 (11-8, 12-10, 10-12, 11-6) in the men's singles Class 1 group match.Madan won the first two games before Dangi fought back to take the third. However, Madan regained control in the fourth game to complete the victory and begin his campaign with a win.Class 1 is the most severely impaired category among wheelchair athletes in para table tennis. Players in this class have very limited sitting balance and significant restrictions in the function of their playing arm. These limitations can result from conditions such as spinal cord injuries or polio.The opening victories gave India's para table tennis contingent a positive start to its campaign at the Asian Para Games, with Bhavina, Sahana, Wadhwa and Madan all registering wins in their respective group matches.- Ends