Chennai, Oct 21:
Tamil Nadu para table tennis player Sahana Ravi has won a bronze medal in the Class 9 category at the Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, turning years of determination into a significant achievement on the international stage.
The 22-year-old took up para table tennis not merely to win medals but to challenge the prejudices she encountered while growing up. Born with a disability that affects sensation on the left side of her body, including her arm and leg, Sahana was teased by able-bodied classmates during her school years. A former basketball player, she decided to demonstrate that her physical limitations would not prevent her from competing and achieving success. She began pursuing table tennis seriously in 2015, when she was just 11, and won gold at a national-level event the following year.
Her sporting journey involved considerable sacrifices by her family, who pledged jewellery and sold property to support her training. She eventually left conventional schooling after Class 9 to concentrate on sport and continued her education through the National Institute of Open Schooling. Sahana initially trained under Raj Aravindan in Hosur before moving to Chennai in 2022, where she trained under coaches Muralidhara and Srinivasa Rao, father of former India paddler Sharath Kamal. Their training helped her move from a defensive style to a more aggressive game. Ranked world No. 9, she won two group matches at the Asian Para Games to reach the semifinals and secure a medal. She lost to China’s Mao Jingdian in the last four but said the experience would help her prepare for the 2028 Paralympics. She has also secured a job under Tamil Nadu’s three per cent sports quota, providing greater financial stability as she continues her sporting career.