Bhavina Patel is an Indian para table tennis player. She is a well-known figure in the para-athletics of India. Bhavina was born on November 6, 1986. She is from Sundhiya village in Gujarat, India.

Bhavina is an amazing player; she ranked 2nd in the world by winning a silver medal for India at the 2011 PTT Thailand Open in the individual category. She is the first Indian TT player to secure a medal at the Paralympics. Though she is disabled, her disability didn’t bring any changes to her career in sports. Let us know more about Bhavina Patel.

Table of Contents

Bhavina Patel Biography

Early life of Bhavina Patel

Bhavina belongs to a middle-class family. Her father didn’t have enough money to treat Bhavina with her illness. Bhavina had surgery in Visakhapatnam, but there was no positive result. She was less bothered about her condition; rather, she was much more determined towards her career. Bhavina Patel always wanted to become a teacher from the beginning. But due to her disability, she got rejected.

Her father, Hasmukhbhai Patel, then decided to register her name in the ITI course in the Blind People’s Association. He got to know about this institution from an advertisement. After she joined the association, Bhavina never decided to look back. She developed an interest in sports, and then she decided to choose table tennis as her career.

Family of Bhavina Patel

Bhavina Patel grew up in Mehsana, Gujarat. Her father is Hasmukhbhai Patel, who is the owner of a small cutlery kiosk. Bhavina Patel suffered from polio when she was just one year old. The disease affected her lower body. Her family got so discouraged and disheartened due to her illness. But they stood by her in this difficult time. Bhavina Patel, along with her family members, moved to Ahmedabad from her village of Sundhiya in the Mehsana district of Gujarat in 2004.

Bhavina is married to Nikul Patel, who has played junior cricket for Gujarat. Being a sportsman, Nikul Patel was also there with Bhavina in every step of her life. Bhavina once, in an interview, said, "Marrying a sportsperson benefited me a lot. He was there with me every step of the way. He coached me and trained me. Nikul has played cricket, so he understands the psychology of a sportsperson. Nikul took care of my diet, practice timings, maintained the timetable for training, and most importantly, he motivated me whenever I was down. My cricketer husband helped me in table tennis.”

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Career of Bhavina Patel

At first she thought of playing tennis as her hobby only, but later she grew interested. Bhavina, with her dedication towards table tennis, won many medals. She played at the national and international levels. She is coached by Lalan Doshi. Bhavina got the 2nd ranking in the world by winning the silver medal for India in the individual category at the PTT Thailand Open of 2011.

Bhavina won a silver medal in October 2013 in the women’s singles class 4 at the Asian Para Table Tennis Championships held in Beijing. Again in 2017 at the International Table Tennis Federation Asian Para Table Tennis Championships held in Beijing, China, Bhavina won a bronze medal by defeating the Korean player Kang in the Women’s Single Class 4 category.

In the 2018 Asian Para Games, she won a bronze medal, and in 2019, she got her first individual international gold medal in Bangkok.

Bhavina Patel reached the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics in 2021, and she became the first woman in the table tennis game to qualify for the Paralympics. In the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics, Bhavina reached the semi-finals after defeating her opponent, who was a Rio Paralympic gold medalist and world number 5 Borislava Peric Rankovic of Serbia, with 11-5, 11-6, 11-7, which lasted for about 18 minutes and got into the finals, defeating Zhao Ying and winning a silver medal. Sonalben Patel, who is also a paraathlete, joined Bhavina Patel in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, Bhavina Patel did a great performance.

Bhavina Patel got a job in the Employee’s State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) in the sports quota. In 2021, Bhavina Patel received her prestigious Arjuna Award for her amazing performance in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

After the Tokyo Paralympics, Bhavina then decided to go to the Commonwealth Games when she started her campaign at the Birmingham 2022 Games. In her match in the CWG, she missed her spot in the semifinals. At the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, she won a gold medal for herself in the women’s singles class 3-5. The 2020 Tokyo Paralympics changed her life by winning the silver medal. She became well-known at that time.

Bhavina Patel’s Medals

• Gold: Birmingham Commonwealth Games, women’s singles class 3-5, 2022
• Silver: PTT Thailand Open, individual category, 2011
• Asian Para Table TennisChampionships, women’s singles Class 4, Beijing, 2013
• Tokyo Paralympics, women’s singles Class 4, 2020
• Bronze: Asian Para Table Tennis Championship, women’s singles Class 4, Beijing, 2017

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Education Background

Bhavina Patel has studied till 12th and has got a bachelor’s degree through correspondence from Gujarat University.

Marital status

Bhavina Patel is married to Nikul Patel who is also a sportsman.

Conclusion

Patel was not so well known before. But after her performance in the Tokyo Paralympics, her life changed then and there. Many people got to know about her extraordinary performances and her achievements. She definitely had many individuals around the world. Bhavina is qualified for the 2024 Paris Paralympics, and she looks forward to it.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

1.Who is Bhavina Patel?

Bhavina Patel is an Indian para table tennis player. She ranked 2nd in the world by winning a silver medal for India at the 2011 PTT Thailand Open in the individual category. Bhavina was born on November 6, 1986. She is from Sundhiya village in Gujarat, India.

2. How did Bhavina Patel started her career in table tennis?

Bhavina Patel’s father registered her name in the ITI course in the Blind People’s Association. From then she developed interest in sports. At first she thought of playing tennis as her hobby, but later she grew interest and chose it as her career.

3. What was Bhavina Patel’s notable achievements?

The 2020 Tokyo Paralympics of 2021 was a life changing moment for Bhavina Patel, she became the first woman in the table tennis game to qualify for the Paralympics. She also recieved Arjuna Award for her great performance at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics in 2021.

4. Is Bhavina Patel participating in the Paris Paralympics 2024?

Yes, Bhavina Patel is qualified for the 2024 Paris Paralympics, and she looks forward to it.

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