Olympian Bhavina leads in nat’l para TT c’ship

Indore: Olympian Bhavina Patel from Gujarat showcased her exceptional skills on the opening day of the UTT National Para Ranking Table Tennis Championship, defeating Pinky Dubey (Madhya Pradesh) 3-0 in the women's Class 4 league match on Wednesday.Hosted at Abhay Prashal, the event is organised under the aegis of the Table Tennis Federation of India, in collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh Table Tennis Association and Para Table Tennis Promotion Association.Patel's emphatic win was mirrored by her fellow Olympian Sonal Patel (Gujarat), who secured a commanding 3-0 victory against Deepika Rani (Tamil Nadu) in the women's Class 1-3 category. Other standout performances included Vidya Kumari (Bihar), who defeated Mayuri Dave (Gujarat) 3-0, and Ekta Bhyan (Haryana), who overcame Prema Vishwas (Uttarakhand) with the same scoreline, ensuring their progression to the main rounds.In the men's category, the competition was equally fierce. Class 7 league matches saw Ramesh (Delhi), Mahesh Kumar (Haryana), and Yogesh Dagar (Haryana) secure comprehensive 3-0 victories over their opponents. Similarly, in Class 8, players like Shashidhar Kulkarni (Karnataka) and Gajanand Parmar (Madhya Pradesh) delivered stellar performances, advancing to the main round with ease.The highlight of Class 9 was Nitish (Tamil Nadu), who outplayed Kapil Bhartiya (Madhya Pradesh) 3-0. Maharashtra's Datt Prasad Chaughule and Chhattisgarh's Abhinav Modgil also impressed with dominant displays.The championship was inaugurated with great fervour by Nand Kishore Pahadia, Sports In-charge of the Indore Municipal Corporation, and presided over by Om Soni, Vice President of the Madhya Pradesh Olympic Association. The opening ceremony was graced by Tournament Director Jayesh Acharya and Secretary Pramod Gangrade, along with other dignitaries.