Hours after silver, Bhavina says: Will start prep for gold

Bhavinaben Patel

Bhavinaben Patel's delight of winning a historic silver medal at the Tokyo Paralympics on Sunday was laced with a commitment: "My dreams have come true, but I will prepare for a gold medal."

India's Ahmedabad-based table tennis star Bhavinaben Patel claimed a silver after losing 0-3 to World No. 1 Chinese paddler Ying Zhou in the Class 4 singles final. "I have won my first Paralympics medal and I have struggled to reach here. I am very happy with the silver. I wanted to win gold, but could not succeed. I will start practising for that gold, which is my next target," Patel told mid-day on Sunday.

People watch the Tokyo Paralympics women's table tennis singles final on a large screen installed at Bhavinaben Patel's village Sundhia, near Ahmedabad yesterday. Pic/AFP

A call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the icing on the cake. "PM Modi told me that I have made Sundhiya Village famous and praised me for bringing glory to the country. He urged me to give my 100 per cent without taking pressure," she revealed.

Patel credited her coach and family members for the Tokyo show and stressed that her sporting reward was a gift from God: "I never do pooja at home, but I believe in doing good for people. I never hurt anyone and this victory is a return gift from God."

Husband Nikul Patel, who was the first to experience her delight in Tokyo, said: "This is such a proud moment for me too. We have received so many wishes from all over India," said Nikul.

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