Bhavina Hasmukhbhai Patel is an Indian para table tennis player who competes in the women's singles Class 4 category. She rose to national prominence after winning the silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Paralympics, becoming the first Indian table tennis player, able-bodied or para, to win a Paralympic or Olympic medal in the sport.
| Full name | Bhavinaben Hasmukhbhai Patel |
|---|---|
| Sport | Para table tennis |
| Classification | Women's singles Class 4 (wheelchair) |
| Country | India |
| Home state | Gujarat |
| Major honour | Silver medal, Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games |
| Civilian honour | Padma Shri (2022); Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna (2021) |
Bhavina Patel hails from Vadnagar in the Mehsana district of Gujarat. She contracted polio in early childhood, which led to a permanent locomotor disability. She pursued her studies and vocational training at the Blind People's Association (BPA) in Ahmedabad, where she was introduced to table tennis as a recreational activity before taking it up competitively.
Patel began representing India internationally in para table tennis in the 2010s, gradually moving up the rankings in Class 4. She has trained in Gujarat under coaches associated with the Paralympic Committee of India and benefited from support under the Government of India's Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).
Following her Tokyo 2020 silver, Patel was conferred the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2021, India's highest sporting honour. In 2022, the Government of India awarded her the Padma Shri, the country's fourth highest civilian honour, for her contribution to sport.
Patel's Paralympic medal is widely regarded as a landmark moment for Indian table tennis and for para sports in India. Her success contributed to the growing visibility of the Paralympic movement in India and inspired increased institutional support for para table tennis through bodies such as the Paralympic Committee of India and the Table Tennis Federation of India.