India surpass previous para table tennis medal tally with five bronzes

Nagoya: Ravi Baby Sahana and Prachi Pandey scripted history by becoming India's first para table tennis players to make the podium in the standing category at the Asian Para Games, as the country secured five bronze medals here on Tuesday.

Paralympics medallist Bhavina Patel, Sonalben Patel, Prachi and Sahana all went down to accomplished Paralympic medallists in their respective women's singles semifinals, while Jehan Madan bagged a bronze medal in the men's singles class 1 event by virtue of finishing fourth in a five-paddler field.

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The haul also took India past its medal tally from the previous edition, where it had won two bronze medals in para table tennis.

Sahana and Prachi's bronze were particularly significant as they became the first Indians to win medals in the standing category at the Asian Para Games.

Tamil Nadu's Sahana went down 8-11, 2-11, 4-11 to five-time Paralympic gold medallist Mao Jingdian of China in the Class 9 semifinal.

Class 9 in para table tennis is a standing sports class for athletes with mild physical impairments affecting their legs or playing arm, or severe impairments of their non-playing arm.

Prachi, who has a neuro-degenerative disease, went down 9-11, 2-11, 8-11 to reigning Paralympic champion Najlah Al-Dayyeni of Iraq in the Class 6 semifinal.

Class 6 is a standing category for athletes with severe impairments in both arms and legs.

Bhavina, a former Paralympic silver-medallist, was beaten 7-11, 5-11, 7-11 by China's eight-time Paralympic champion Zhang Bian in the Class 4-5 semifinal to claim her second successive bronze at the Asian Para Games.

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The 39-year-old from Gujarat had won a silver at the 2018 edition and is also a former Commonwealth Games gold-winner.

Class 4-5 classification is for athletes who have full upper body control but are on a wheelchair due to leg or lower-limb impairments.

Sonalben, who won a doubles silver at the 2018 Jakarta Games, lost 7-11, 5-11, 6-11 to defending champion and three-time Paralympic medallist Jiyu Yoon of South Korea in the Class 3 semifinal.

Class 3 is a wheelchair category for athletes with poor sitting balance and limited trunk control, but normal or near-normal arm and hand function.

Jehan, meanwhile, managed to win just one of his four matches while compatriot Sandeep Jangi finished winless and last.

Class 1 is the most severe sitting wheelchair class, designated for players who have no sitting balance and a severe reduction of function in their playing arm, typically due to a spinal-cord lesion or polio.