Bhavinaben Patel

Started: She began competing in Para table tennis in 2009. (feminisminindia.com, 13 Dec 2022) Reason: She discovered Para table tennis while she was studying at the Blind People's Association in Ahmedabad, India. Her talent was spotted by coach Lalan Doshi. "I started playing table tennis as a fun game." (thebridge.in, 14 Dec 2023, 27 Aug 2021; olympics.com, 29 Aug 2021) Ambition: To win gold at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (thebridge.in, 14 Dec 2023) Milestones: She became the first athlete representing India to win a medal in table tennis at the Paralympic Games when she claimed silver in the women's singles class 4 event at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. (SportsDeskOnline, 07 Feb 2024; olympics.com, 29 Aug 2021) Awards: In 2023 she received the Pioneers of Gujarat Award from the Madhuram Foundation in India. (Facebook page, 12 Oct 2023) She was named Para Sportswoman of the Year for 2022 by BBC India. (Facebook page, 06 Mar 2023; bbc.com, 05 Mar 2023) In 2022 she received the Khel Ratna Award in India. (Facebook page, 30 Nov 2022) In 2022 she received the Gauravvanta Gujarati Award in India. (Facebook page, 24 Apr 2022) She was named Para Table Tennis Player of the Year at the 2021 Times of India Sports Awards. (Facebook page, 17 Oct 2022; timesofindia.indiatimes.com, 16 Oct 2022) In 2021 she received the Arjuna Award in India. (hindustantimes.com, 13 Nov 2021)