Indian para table tennis players clinch five bronzes at Asian Para Games

India's para table tennis team delivered a strong performance at the Asian Para Games on Tuesday, claiming five bronze medals and surpassing the country's tally of two bronzes from the previous edition.

Ravi Baby Sahana and Prachi Pandey created history by becoming the first Indian para table tennis players to secure medals in the standing category at the Asian Para Games. Sahana, competing from Tamil Nadu, reached the Class 9 semifinal before losing to China's five-time Paralympic gold medallist Mao Jingdian with a scoreline of 8-11, 2-11, 4-11.

Paralympics medallist Bhavina Patel and Sonalben Patel also featured among the medallists, though both lost in their respective women's singles semifinals to accomplished Paralympic competitors. In the men's category, Jehan Madan secured bronze in the Class 1 event, finishing fourth among five participants in the field.

The five bronze medals represent a significant milestone for Indian para table tennis on the continental stage, demonstrating the sport's growing strength and competitiveness within the country's Paralympic programme. The standing category medals held particular significance as a breakthrough achievement for Indian representation in that classification at Asian Para Games level.