Baby Sahana Ravi wins historic para TT bronze at Asian Para Games 2026
Synopsis
Baby Sahana Ravi's bronze in Nagoya is more than a podium — it is India's first-ever medal in the standing category at the Asian Para Games, the result of a decade-long grind that began in a Class 5 classroom in Hosur and included sacrificing conventional schooling for 6–8-hour daily training sessions. With four para TT bronzes in total from Nagoya, India's bench depth in the discipline is quietly becoming a force.
Key Takeaways
Baby Sahana Ravi won bronze in para table tennis women's singles Class 9 at the Asian Para Games in Nagoya on 19 October .
This is India's first-ever medal in the standing category at the Asian Para Games.
Sahana lost 0-3 to China's Mao Jingdian in the semi-final, with the loss confirming the bronze.
She previously won gold at the 2024 World Abilitysport Youth Games and the Youth Asian Para Games 2025 in Dubai .
Prachi Andey , Sonalben Patel , and Bhavina Patel also won bronze medals in para TT women's singles at the same Games.
India's para TT contingent claimed four bronze medals across women's singles categories at Nagoya.
India's Baby Sahana Ravi clinched a historic bronze medal in the para table tennis women's singles Class 9 event at the Asian Para Games in Nagoya on 19 October, marking India's first-ever podium finish in the standing category at the Games. The Hosur-born para athlete from Tamil Nadu lost 0-3 to China's Mao Jingdian in the semi-final, a result that nonetheless secured her a landmark bronze.
A Journey Built on Sacrifice
Sahana first picked up a table tennis bat in 2014 while studying in Class 5. The following year, she joined the Coronation Club under her first coach, Raj Aravindan Alagar, who helped shape her early development. Determined to pursue the sport at an elite level, she discontinued regular schooling after Class 9 and continued her education through the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), training 6–8 hours a day.
In September 2022, she moved to the SDAT-AKG Table Tennis Development Centre in Chennai, where she now trains under Muralidhar Rao — the former coach of Olympian Achanta Sharath Kamal. The shift proved transformative. Sahana made her senior multi-sport debut at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games and finished 5th at the Asian Para Games 2022 in Hangzhou.
Gold at World and Continental Level Before Nagoya
Sahana has since established herself as one of India's most consistent Class 9 players on the world circuit. She won gold at the 2024 World Abilitysport Youth Games and followed it up with another gold at the Youth Asian Para Games 2025 in Dubai. The Nagoya bronze elevates her trajectory further, coming in the open seniors category at a continental championship.
More Para TT Medals for India
Sahana's podium was not the only bright spot for India in para table tennis at Nagoya. Prachi Andey claimed bronze in women's singles Class 6 after losing her semi-final to Egypt's Al-Dayyeni by a score of 0-3. Earlier in the competition, Sonalben Patel secured bronze in women's singles Class 3 after falling 7-11, 5-11, 6-11 to South Korea's Yoon Jiyu in the last four.
Paralympic medallist Bhavina Patel also added a bronze in women's singles Class 4-5, going down to China's Zhang Bian by 7-11, 5-11, 7-11 in the semi-final. India's para table tennis contingent thus collected four bronze medals across multiple women's singles categories.
What This Means for Indian Para Sport
India's first-ever medal in the standing category at the Asian Para Games underscores the growing depth of the country's para sports pipeline. Notably, this performance comes as India accelerates investments in para-athlete infrastructure ahead of future Paralympic cycles. Throughout her career, Sahana has drawn strength from her parents, who have, according to reports, wholeheartedly backed her ambition of competing at the Paralympics. With two gold medals at youth level and now a senior continental bronze, a Paralympic berth looks an increasingly realistic next milestone.
Point of View
But the deeper story is systemic: four para table tennis bronzes in a single edition of the Asian Para Games points to a pipeline that is maturing well beyond a handful of marquee names. India's para sports ecosystem has historically been built around one or two breakout stars — Bhavina Patel in Class 4-5, Sonalben in Class 3 — and the emergence of Sahana in the standing category fills a structural gap. The real question is whether the Sports Authority of India and state bodies will back this cohort with the infrastructure and classification support needed to convert continental bronzes into Paralympic medals. Youth gold medals are promising; they are not guarantees.
NationPress
20 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Baby Sahana Ravi and what did she win at the Asian Para Games?
Baby Sahana Ravi is an Indian para table tennis player from Hosur, Tamil Nadu, competing in the Class 9 (standing) category. She won a bronze medal in women's singles Class 9 at the Asian Para Games in Nagoya on 19 October, becoming the first Indian to win a medal in the standing category at the Games.
Why is Sahana Ravi's bronze medal considered historic?
It is India's first-ever podium finish in the standing category at the Asian Para Games. Previous Indian para TT medals at the Games had come in seated categories, making this a breakthrough for standing-category para table tennis in India.
How many para table tennis medals did India win at the Asian Para Games in Nagoya?
India won four bronze medals in women's singles para table tennis at Nagoya — through Baby Sahana Ravi (Class 9), Prachi Andey (Class 6), Sonalben Patel (Class 3), and Bhavina Patel (Class 4-5).
Who coaches Baby Sahana Ravi and where does she train?
Sahana currently trains under Muralidhar Rao, the former coach of Olympian Achanta Sharath Kamal, at the SDAT-AKG Table Tennis Development Centre in Chennai. She joined the centre in September 2022 after her first coach, Raj Aravindan Alagar, developed her foundations at the Coronation Club.
What are Baby Sahana Ravi's major titles before the Asian Para Games 2026?
Sahana won gold at the 2024 World Abilitysport Youth Games and the Youth Asian Para Games 2025 in Dubai. She also made her senior multi-sport debut at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games and finished 5th at the Asian Para Games 2022 in Hangzhou.
