Bhavinaben, Nishad win historic silvers at Paralympics, Vinod’s bronze on hold

Patel, who was diagnosed with polio when she was 12 months old, became only the second Indian woman to win a medal at the Paralympics after she signed off with a silver following a 0-3 loss to world number one Chinese paddler Ying Zhou in the women’s singles table tennis class 4 final. 

Nishad then clinched a silver with an Asian record before discus thrower Vinod fetched a bronze which was put on hold after a protest over his disability classification as India began collecting what is expected to be an unprecedented haul of athletics medals in the Games. Vinod’s classification in F52, which is for athletes with impaired muscle power, restricted range of movement, limb deficiency or leg length difference, was done on August 22 by the organisers. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, “The remarkable Bhavina Patel has scripted history! Her life journey is motivating and will also draw more youngsters towards sports. #Paralympics.” Chief Minister MK Stalin also congratulated Patel saying, “I feel happy and proud in congratulating India’s daughter Bhavinaben Patel for her stupendous performance winning a silver in Para Table Tennis at the Tokyo2020 Paralympics.”