New Delhi, Dec 6: Mandeep Kaur shocked world champion Oksana Kozyna in the final, while Nehal Gupta claimed two gold medals as the Indian team signed off with 14 medals at the Peru Para Badminton International in Lima.
Overall, India claimed six gold, one silver and seven bronze medals to end the year on a satisfying note.
Kaur, who lost to Kozyna in the semifinals of the Para World Championships in Tokyo last month, exacted revenge on the Ukrainian with a 21-11, 21-11 win to clinch the SL-3 women’s singles title. Kaur also took a silver and bronze medal in women’s doubles and mixed doubles SL3-SU5 respectively.
Kaur and Kelly Edith Ari Escalante lost to Parul Parmar and Vaishali Patel 17-21 19-21 in the women’s doubles final.
Meanwhile, 17-year-old Gupta produced an impressive show to clinch two gold medals in men’s singles SL3 and men’s doubles SL3-SL4 events.
Gupta first paired up with Brazilian Johann Breno to defeat local pair Renzo Diquez Bances Morales and Pedro Pablo De Vinatea 21-16, 21-13 in the doubles.
Then he got the better of top Frenchman Mathieu Thomas 21-16, 21-14 to win the singles crown.
There was more joy for India as Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan surprised World’s silver medallist Giuliana Poveda Flores of Peru 21-6, 21-13 in women’s singles SH6 final to wrap up the year with a gold.
Para World Championships bronze medallist Sukant Kadam overcame Singapore’s Chee Hiong Ang 21-14, 21-15 for the men’s singles SL4 gold medal.
The bronze medallists were Umesh Vikram Kumar (MS; SL3), Parul Parmar (WS; SL3), Nehal Gupta and Mandeep Kaur (XD; SL3-SU5), Arati Patil (WS; SU5), Rachana Patel and Nithya Sre (WD; SH6), Charanjeet Kaur (WD; SL3-SU5) and Dilleshwar Rao (MD; SL3-SL4). (PTI)
