Sukant, Sivarajan, Mandeep claim silver
New Delhi, Sep 22: Umesh Vikram secured gold in the SL3 event, while the trio of Sukant Kadam, Sivarajan Solaimalai, and Mandeep Kaur claimed silver medals in their respective categories at the Indonesia Para-Badminton International on Sunday.
Sukant bagged the silver in the men’s singles SL4 event, while Sivarajan won the silver in men’s singles SH6 category.
Mandeep clinched the silver in women’s singles SL3 category.
India delivered a stellar performance in Sarakarta, Indonesia, winning as many as 34 medals in the International Level 2 tournament.
In men’s singles SL3, Umesh triumphed over compatriot and top seed Nehal Gupta, winning 12-21 21-8 21-19 in the final.
Sukant, who had missed out on a bronze medal in Paris after losing to Indonesia’s Fredy Setiawan in the play-off, fell short again in the SL4 final, losing 14-21 14-21 to the Indonesian.
“I gave my best in the final, but Fredy played an exceptional game,” Sukant said.
“It was a great learning experience, and I’ll keep pushing to aim for gold in future competitions.” Sivarajan, who had lost to Great Britain’s Krysten Coombs in Paris, faced a tough challenge from top-seeded Indonesian Subhan Subhan in the SH6 final, ultimately losing 19-21 15-21.
Mandeep, who had suffered a defeat to Nigeria’s Mariam Eniola Bolaji in Paris, also finished with silver after losing 10-21 5-21 to Indonesia’s top seed Qonitah Ikhtiar Syakuroh in the SL3 final.
Despite the silver medal finishes, the Indian contingent’s overall performance was strong, with Umesh claiming the lone gold in singles. Jagadesh Dilli added to India’s success by securing bronze in the same category, making it a sweep for India with seven players reaching the quarterfinals.
In women’s singles SL3, Mandeep’s silver was complemented by Neeraj’s bronze. In the men’s singles SH6 category, Sudarsan Saravanakumar Muthusamy also earned bronze, while Sivarajan secured silver.
Among other Indians in fray, Naveen Sivakumar won bronze in men’s singles SL4 category, while Ruthick Ragupathi claimed silver in the men’s singles SU5. Koshika Devda secured bronze in the women’s singles SU5.
In the mixed doubles SL3-SL4 category, Nehal and Naveen Sivakumar earned silver, while Umesh and Surya, along with Harshit and Kartik, claimed bronze. The men’s doubles SU5 saw Hardik Makkar and Ruthick Ragupathi claim gold.
In the women’s wheelchair WH1 category, Pallavi Kuluvehalli secured gold, with Prema Vishwas and Anusha Chidananda taking bronze. Alphia James clinched gold in the women’s singles WH2 category, and Shabana took home bronze. The mixed doubles WH1-WH2 category saw Poorna Rao and Munna Khalid win bronze.
In the men’s WH1 category, Prem Kumar Ale secured bronze, while Neeraj and Arati Patil, along with Vaishali Nilesh and Germany’s Irina Whalers, claimed bronze in the women’s doubles SL3-SU5 category.
Additionally, Alphia James and Pallavi Kuluvehalli, along with Anusha Chidananda and Shabana won bronze in the women’s doubles WH1-WH2 category. (PTI)