Table tennis at all times: Bhavinaben's mantra to Paralympics success

A robot with advanced features was at hand whenever long-time coach "Lallan ji" (Lalan Doshi) was not.

But a Paralympics medal (could be gold) would have probably remained a far cry had it not been for Bhavinaben Patel's initial interest giving way to passion, and passion giving way to obsession with table tennis.

Diagnosed with polio when she was 12 months old, the 34-year-old is now scripting history at will, having become the first Indian to enter the final of a table tennis event in the showpiece.

"I first played the sport for fun but a bronze medal at a national level club event in Delhi led me into thinking that I can do well in top national and international tournaments.

"I became passionate about it and soon I found myself obsessed with the sport," Patel told PTI from Tokyo, where she is taking some giant strides.

"The obsession with table tennis reached a point where eating, food and sleep took a backseat in my life," she added.

On Saturday, she was rewarded with a ...