India’s Bhavina Patel beat Australian TT player Daniela di Toro 3-1 in Group 1 (Sports Class 4) match to progress to the next round. She beat Toro 8-11, 11-4, 11-7, 11-9. The Tokyo Paralympic medalist came back from a set down to win three games in a row and eventually clinch the match. The last game was also becoming a close affair with di Toro leading in the early part of the game.
However, Bhavina Patel kept her composure and got some crucial points to get back in lead. Although the two players were tied at 9-9, Patel scored a point to take a lead. She then forced an error from Toro to win the game.
Having missed out on a semi-final spot in her first CWG at the Delhi 2010 edition, Bhavina Patel is ready to script history and win a CWG medal to add another achievement to her CV. Notably, the Para Table Tennis player created history by becoming the first ever Indian paddler to win a medal at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo.
“I’m really excited for the Commonwealth Games. A multi-sport event where all athletes across various sports in one place is special. Every medal counts for way more than an individual achievement. This is my second Commonwealth Games appearance. I missed out closely on a medal the last time so my aim is to win one this time around. I’m really excited and I look forward to my matches," Bhavina, who competes in the Class 4 category, told Paralympic Committee of India.
She is also competing at the Commonwealth Games buoyed by her gold medal-winning performances in Egypt and Jordan, besides national championships. “I am happy to get these wins but I want to play more tournaments to improve my world rankings," said the 35-yer-old paddler who is ranked eighth currently.
At Birmingham 2022, Bhavina is joined by Paralympians Shakina Khatun, a former CWG medallist in Para Powerlifting, and para swimmers Niranjan Mukundan and Suyash Jadhav in the 18-member Indian Para team competing in 4 disciplines - Para Athletics, Para Swimming, Para Powerlifting, and Para Table Tennis.