Gujarat paddler Bhavinaben Patel's dominating run continued at the Tokyo Paralympics as she accounted for World No 3 and six-time Asian gold medallist Miao Zhang of China in a tough semifinal on Saturday morning. She won 7-11, 11-7, 11-4, 9-11, 11-8 in 34 minutes.
The 34-year-old Bhavinaben took up table tennis at the age of 12 after watching visually impaired paddlers in action at Blind People's Association in Ahmedabad where she had enrolled for a computer course. While she along with her parents battled odds to rise through the ranks initially, she found an able ally in the form of Nikul Patel, now her husband, who stood like a rock behind her through thick and thin.
The duo first met through a common friend in 2008 and developed a special bond. The relationship flourished in the years to come but they decided to marry only in 2017. "A few resisted our relationship but they eventually agreed," said Nikul, who runs an import and export business from Ahmedabad.
"We were always there to support her but it's her dedication and devotion that had brought her here. She never let her limitations overpower her. She instead used them as motivation to achieve big goals," added the husband.
Bhavinaben had already created history on Friday by becoming the first Indian table tennis player to secure a Paralympic medal after entering the semifinals. The Class 4 paddler now has an opportunity to become first Indian woman to clinch a Paralympic gold when she takes on world no 1 Ying Zhou from China, a two-time gold medal winner (2008 and 2012, in Sunday's final. Deepa Malik, now the president of the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), is the lone woman from the country to win a medal in the event. She had won a silver medal in Rio in the women’s shot put F53 event.
Aware of his wife's fighting spirit, Nikul looks confident ahead of the gold medal match. "The toughest match was the quarterfinal against the Serbian player. She was the reigning champion and Bhavina defeated her in straight sets in just 18 minutes. As I had said after her quarterfinal win, she will not stop here. She is also eyeing a dream run in doubles starting Sunday," said Nikul.
Bhavinaben first won a silver medal in the 2011 Thailand Open, and two years later, she claimed second silver at the Asian Championships. However, her golden hunt ended only in 2019 when she won the yellow metal at the Bangkok Open. She became world No. 8 when she won her second gold last year in Egypt.