KIPG 2025: Sonalben Patel wins TT gold; Pardeep Joon, Sahista shine in powerlifting
New Delhi: Paralympian Sonalben Patel from Gujarat secured gold in the women’s Class 3 table tennis category on the penultimate day of the Khelo India Para Games 2025, the 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist establishing her superiority with a comprehensive win. The left-handed Sonalben beat Bihar’s Vidya Kumari with consummate ease.
In other table tennis finals at the Indira Gandhi Stadium complex here on Wednesday, 21-year-old Rishit Nathwani and 14-year-old Deepika Vijaya were surprise winners in the men’s Class 5 and the women’s Class 4 categories, respectively.
At the close of Day 7 of KIPG 2025, 178 gold medals had been decided with Haryana leading the charts, having bagged 32 gold medals. Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh followed with 28 and 22 medals, respectively.
The 37-year-old Sonalben was diagnosed with polio when she was six months old. This affected both her legs and right hand and left her with 90% disability. Despite this, she fought her way to a bronze medal at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games and defended her gold at the Khelo India Para Games as well. She had beaten Vidya in the inaugural edition of KIPG in December 2023.
“It is an amazing feeling to not only participate in the Khelo India Para Games 2025 but also win the gold for a second straight time. I have never let my disability stop me from becoming who I am now, and I am very proud of that,” Sonalben was quoted as saying by SAI Media on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the powerlifting competition came to an end at the Khelo India Para Games 2025 with former KIPG medallists making their mark on Wednesday. Over the three days of competitions, the para powerlifting saw four national records being set by Jaspreet Kaur (45 kg), Manish Kumar (54 kg), Seema Rani (61 kg), and Jhandu Kumar (72 kg).
Haryana’s Pardeep Joon, who had won gold in the first edition of the Khelo India Para Games in December 2023, lifted 194 kg in the 107+ kg category to win his second gold medal of the Games. Hailing from a middle-class family, Pardeep began his powerlifting journey in 2021 and worked hard to clinch a gold medal in the National Games and Khelo India Para Games 2023.
Discussing the tough times after facing injury, Pardeep said, “I was working on a farm when I got injured, which resulted in nerve damage. Due to not being able to get proper treatment, my leg had to be amputated. I was depressed for six months after my injury.”
However, Pardeep’s family and friend Jaideep supported him in these difficult times. Jaideep introduced him to powerlifting and trained him. It motivated the 31-year-old to emerge out of his depression and gain recognition in sports.
Other than Pardeep, Delhi’s Sahista also shone brightly on the concluding day of the powerlifting competition as she converted her last edition’s silver medal to a gold medal this year by lifting 81 kg in the 79 kg category. When she was a child, an injection caused an infection which led to permanent damage to her knee.
Speaking about her shift to sports, Sahista, a 25-year-old, said, “Over time, I accepted it. I initially wanted to build biceps, but discovered Para powerlifting, which became my goal. After winning gold at the Nationals in Greater Noida, securing gold at Khelo India feels like a big point in my journey. Now, I am aiming to become a Paralympian.”
The men’s 107 kg saw Maharashtra’s Dinesh Bagade, who had won a bronze medal in the last edition of the Khelo India Para Games, bagging the gold medal after lifting 157 kg. Tamil Nadu’s Arunmoli Arunagiri also grabbed a gold medal in the women’s 86 kg category after recording a lift of 80 kg.
