Indian athletes delivered a stellar start on the second day of the ongoing Para Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, adding crucial medals to the national tally. The day's highlights featured a gold medal by Deepti Jeevanji and a bronze medal secured by Bhavina Patel.
Deepti Jeevanji Smashes Record for 400m Gold
Deepti Jeevanji put up a remarkable performance in the women's 400m T20 event, clinching the gold medal with a Games record on Tuesday by clocking 56.36 seconds. Hailing from Telangana, the 23-year-old Deepti is a two-time Para World Championships medalist, having won gold in 2024, and has also claimed a bronze medal in the same event at the Paralympic Games. Meanwhile, Japan's Nina Kanno took the silver medal with a time of 58.92 seconds, and Akane Kato secured the bronze with a time of one minute and 00.26 seconds. The T-20 classification is designated for athletes with intellectual impairments who face challenges related to processing information, maintaining focus, and executing technical race strategies.
Bhavina Patel Secures Table Tennis Bronze
In table tennis, Bhavina Patel won a bronze medal after going down against eight-time Paralympic champion Zhang Bian of China in the women's singles class 4-5 semifinals on Tuesday. The former Paralympic silver medalist Bhavina suffered a 7-11, 5-11, 7-11 defeat in the match. Having also won bronze at the previous edition, Bhavina previously captured a silver medal at the 2018 Games. Her opponent, 40-year-old Bian, had secured a silver medal at the last Para Asian Games. The 39-year-old paddler from Gujarat is also a former Commonwealth Games gold medalist. Class 4-5 table tennis features athletes who have full control over their upper body but compete from a wheelchair due to impairments in their legs or lower trunk.
