Paralympics 2024: Shuttlers kick off campaign in style

Paris: Eight singles athletes from India, including Tokyo silver medallist Suhas Yathiraj, won their respective initial group matches here on Thursday, giving the Indian para-shuttlers a good start to the Paris Paralympics.

In the SL4 category, all three Indians -- Suhas, Sukant Kadam and Tarun -- won their opening matches. Nitesh Kumar (SL3), Palak Kohli (SL4), Thulasimathi Murugesan (SU5), Manisha Ramadass (SU5), and Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan (SH6) also cleared the first hurdle later in the day.

Athletes with lower limb impairments and minor balance issues in walking or running compete in the SL4 class, while SL3 is for those with more severe lower limb disabilities, requiring play on a half-width court.

SU5 includes athletes with upper limb impairments, and SH6 is for players of short stature.

The highlight of the day was a gritty performance by Sukant Kadam. The 31-year-old from Maharashtra, who suffered a knee injury after a fall on a cricket field at the age of 10, recovered from an opening game setback to defeat Malaysia's Mohammed Amin Burhanuddin 17-21, 21-15, 22-20 in his opening Group B match.

Sukant staged a remarkable comeback, winning six consecutive points after trailing 16-20 in the decider.

"Playing at this level, with the crowd cheering for us, is fantastic! I was determined to give it my all, with 100% speed and never giving up. We were prepared for this situation and knew how to handle the pressure and the crowd," Sukant said.

Suhas, a 2007 batch IAS officer, breezed past Indonesia's Hikmat Ramdani 21-7, 21-5 in his Group A match, which lasted just 22 minutes.

Playing in his second Paralympics, Tarun, who suffered a serious knee injury in a football accident, defeated Brazil's Oliveira Rogerio Junior Xavier 21-17, 21-19 in men's singles SL4 Group D.

Nitesh, a 29-year-old IIT Mandi graduate, and Thulasimathi Murugesan had a successful day, first winning their mixed doubles opener and then securing victories in their respective singles group matches.

Nitesh fought hard to overcome compatriot Manoj Sarkar, a Tokyo bronze medallist, with a 21-13, 18-21, 21-18 win in men's singles SL3 Group A.

Thulasimathi, a veterinary science student from Tamil Nadu, showed her class by defeating Italy's Rosa Efomo de Marco 21-9, 21-11 in SU5 Group A.

Palak, who was born with an underdeveloped left arm, eased to a 21-12, 21-14 win over France's Milena Surreau in a women's singles SL4 Group C match.

Manisha Ramadass registered a 8-21, 21-6, 21-19 win over local hope Maud Lefort in women's singles SU5 Group C, while Nithya thrashed USA's Jayci Simon 21-7, 21-8 in women's singles SH6 Group A.

Earlier in the day, Nitesh and Thulasimathi also started strong in mixed doubles, defeating compatriots Suhas Yathiraj and Palak Kohli 21-14, 21-17 in their Group A match, which lasted 31 minutes.

However, it wasn't all smooth sailing for the Indian contingent. Mandeep Kaur and Manasi Joshi lost their respective women's singles SL3 group stage matches, while the mixed doubles duo of Sivarajan Solaimalai and Nithya Sre, seeded second, fell in straight games to the American pair of Miles Krajewski and Jayci Simon.

Manasi, a 2019 world champion whose leg was amputated after a road accident in 2011, took the opening game but couldn't maintain the pressure, losing 21-16, 13-21, 18-21 to Indonesia's Qonitah Ikhtiar Syakuroh in Group A.

Mandeep, who switched to badminton from arm wrestling after surgery in 2018, lost 8-21, 14-21 against Nigeria's Mariam Eniola Bolaji in Group B.

In their Group B match, Sivarajan and Nithya put up a tough fight but eventually went down 21-23, 11-21 to the American pair in the SH6 category.

Nitesh, who hails from Karnal district in Haryana, and Thulasimathi, who won a mixed doubles bronze at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou last year, faced little challenge in the first game of their mixed doubles match.

However, Suhas and Palak struggled to counter their opponents' net play and deep tosses, losing the game in just 14 minutes.

The second game followed a similar pattern, with Palak unable to match her senior partner's prowess on the court.

With PTI inputs