Prachi Pandey, Sahana Ravi Make Para Table Tennis History

Indian para table tennis crossed two frontiers in a single day at the Asian Para Games 2026 on 20 October 2026. Prachi Pandey took bronze in the Women’s Singles Class 6 event and Baby Sahana Ravi took bronze in the Women’s Singles Class 9 event, and both medals were the first of their kind for the country. Both athletes were competing at the Games for the first time.

A first in the Women’s Singles Class 6

Prachi Pandey became the first Indian to win a medal in the Women’s Singles Class 6 event at these Games, and she did it on her debut appearance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the result a historic first for Indian para table tennis and an important milestone, and congratulated her on what he described as a pathbreaking achievement. A debut medal in a class where no Indian had stood on the podium before is the kind of detail that turns into an examination question within weeks.

A first in the standing category

Baby Sahana Ravi’s bronze in the Women’s Singles Class 9 event carried a wider first with it: it was India’s first-ever medal in the standing category at the Asian Para Games. That too came on a debut. The Prime Minister said she had created history, that the moment was one of immense pride, and that it would encourage more young athletes to dream big.

The two firsts side by side

For the exam

Pair each name with its class and with the exact first it represents, because the two firsts are not the same. Prachi Pandey is the first Indian medallist in the Women’s Singles Class 6 event; Baby Sahana Ravi is the first Indian medallist in the standing category, in the Women’s Singles Class 9 event. Both medals were bronze, both came on debut appearances and both were won on 20 October 2026. The trap a paper setter will build is to swap the two class codes, or to attach the standing-category first to the wrong athlete.