Bhavinaben Patel scripted history on Sunday, winning
India’s first-ever Paralympic medal in table tennis as she secured silver after
losing the women’s singles class 4 final. Although she was outclassed by China’s
world number one paddler Zhou Ying in the gold medal match, Patel had an
incredible road to the final as she surprised even the Indian camp and defeated
many higher-ranked opponents.

Making her maiden Paralympic appearance, the
34-year-old was not among the medal hopefuls for India ahead of the tournament.
However, Patel defeated world numbers 2, 3, 8 and 9 in the run up to the final.

Patel said she has always drawn inspiration from legendary
Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, saying his stellar achievements have motivated
her for a long time and that she wants to show the former batsman her medal upon
returning home.

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“I have always been inspired by Sachin Tendulkar. I
want to see him with my own eyes and I want to soak in all the motivational
speeches from him that will give me even more confidence,” Patel told NDTV.

Patel also became only the second Indian female to win
a Paralympic medal, after Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) chief Deepa Malik
won silver in women’s shot put at the 2016 edition in Rio.

Her win also opened India’s medal account in the ongoing
Tokyo Paralympics.

Patel also spoke about her mental strengths, saying
meditation has always helped her focus on her objective. “Meditation is my
strength. Table tennis is such a game, that it gets over in 10-15 minutes. This
is world’s second fastest game. Hence, I control my mind through meditation, it
helps me focus,” she told NDTV.

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She also confessed that playing against the Chinese
was a scary prospect. “Everyone is scared of playing with the Chinese, I was a
bit nervous. I have beaten them before. I think whoever is in front of you, you
need to give your 100 per cent,” she said.

Patel lost her opening match of the Paralympics to
Zhou, a two-time Paralympic gold medallist, but defeated the Chinese world
number three Miao Zhang in the semi-final to storm into the summit clash.

She lost the final to Ying, who is also a six-time
World Championships medallist, 7-11, 5-11, 6-11 within 9 minutes to sign off
with a historic silver medal.