CHENNAI: While India enjoyed a historic day at the Asian Para Games in Nagoya on Tuesday, Tamil Nadu paddler Baby Sahana Ravi’s achievement stands out for different reasons. While her bronze medal was India’s first in the Class 9 category women’s singles category — a disability class for athletes with physical impairments on their non-playing arm and leg — personally, it marked an important landmark in her ultimate goal of winning a medal in the Paralympics.
But table tennis came to the Hosur paddler at her lowest when she was seeking recreation. Diagnosed with left cerebral palsy at birth, she was subject to bullying by some of her peers. “Both my left leg and left hand were very weak. I remember not being able to hold a glass of water properly with my left hand," she recounted to this daily.
Her life in school was marked with bullying. "I used to play basketball growing up. However, I was bullied or looked down upon for my lack of mobility. Not just that, few of my teachers used to sympathise, which I didn’t like. I just wanted to be treated normally,” she explained.
She met Raj Aravindan Alagar, a para table tennis player and coach at the Coronation Club in the city. “I met him in 2014 when I was studying in class 5. Then, I took up table tennis because I wanted to try an individual sport,” she added.
Within two years, Sahana became a national champion. “After that national championship, I decided to take up the sport full time,” she added. Then, she discontinued her schooling and opted for an open schooling program to train in the sport. While she succeeded in international events, she could not replicate it in her first big-ticket event in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022. “During the Covid pandemic, I couldn’t train properly. After the Commonwealth Games, I decided to move to Chennai and train at the SDAT-AKG under both Muralidhara Rao and Srinivasa Rao sir,” she said.
Even after winning medals at the ITTF competitions and both World and Asian Youth Games, Sahana could not replicate her winning form at her first Asian Para Games in Hangzhou in 2023. “In the build-up to this Asian Para Games, there was pressure for me to deliver. I worked more on my fitness as I knew how important it was. I trained for six hours a day across two sessions, including in the gym.
She credited the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT), her corporate employers, and her parents for their support. “My coaches Muralidhara sir and Srinivasa sir, along with assistant coach Meena Sundaram were very helpful as always,” she said.
But she felt she had the edge thanks to sports and performance psychologist Keerthana Swaminathan, with whom she had sessions until before the semifinals. “I also realized I needed to work on my mental fitness. I took sessions right up until the semifinals here to improve my game strategy and mental performance,” she said.
While this medal is a watershed moment in her career, she feels more medals are there for the taking. “Through this event, I qualified for the World Championships in Thailand next month. Winning a medal there can help me in my journey to the Paralympics,” she said.
The 22-year-old paddler believed life will now be about taking responsibilities. “With this medal, I believe there will be an onus on me to deliver. I am motivated to do more and I will continue to work hard,” she added.
