Ludhiana player shines at TT tournament, brings home silver

Shubham has a decorated history of victories. He clinched a gold medal in the men’s singles Class-3 category at the UTT Para Table Tennis National Ranking Championship in Indore last November. In March last year, he bagged three gold medals at the UTT Para Table Tennis National Championship. He continued his streak by winning gold in mixed doubles at the ITTF Fa40 Thailand Para Open in July 2024 and another gold at the Khelo India Para Games in December 2023. Additionally, he secured two silver medals in singles and doubles at the Uganda Para Badminton International.

A computer science engineering student at Lovely Professional University (LPU), Shubham trains at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Despite his growing list of achievements, he has not received any financial or logistical support from the state government. Expressing his struggles, he shared, “The Act Humane Foundation has been my backbone, funding my equipment and travel. Even for this contest, Harleen Kaur, co-founder of the foundation, covered my expenses.”

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In the quarterfinals, he battled through a tense match to defeat Hungary 3-2. He continued his impressive form in the semi-finals, overcoming a strong French opponent with another 3-2 victory. However, in the final match, he faced another French player and fell short, losing 0-3, ultimately settling for silver.

Shubham’s journey to success has been nothing short of inspirational. His love for the sport began after a road accident in 2016 left him with a spinal injury and temporary paralysis. During his recovery, he explored sports as a means of rehabilitation, eventually finding his passion in table tennis. His first major breakthrough came in 2022 when he claimed his first national gold medal.

Ludhiana’s para table tennis player, Shubham Wadhwa, has once again made the city proud by securing a silver medal in men’s doubles on the last day of the ITTF World Para Future Costa Brava Spanish Open held in Spain from Tuesday to Friday. The tournament saw participation from 25 countries.Now, with his eyes set on greater goals, Shubham is preparing for the upcoming national championship and Khelo India Games.Beyond sports, Shubham has been an advocate for social change. As a district icon for persons with disabilities (PwD), he actively promoted voting rights among PwD voters during the last Lok Sabha elections.