New Delhi: A second badminton medal is assured for India as Manisha Ramadass set up a women’s singles SU5 semifinals clash with compatriot Thulasimathi Murugesan at the Paris Paralympics 2024 on Sunday. Manisha, who suffers from Erb’s palsy, cruised to victory against Japan’s Mamiko Toyoda with a score line of 21-13, 21-16 in the quarterfinals.
The 19-year-old shuttler has an affected right arm but that didn’t come on her way towards victory. Erb’s palsy is a nerve disorder in the shoulder and arm that leads to weakness and even disables muscle function. Left-handed Manisha, who is a second-seeded Indian took just 30 minutes to hand her unseeded rival a defeat.
In the last four round, Manisha will meet the top-seeded Thulasimathu who downed Portugal’s Beatriz Monteiro in group A on Saturday. The category SU5 includes the players who have impairment of the upper limbs but it can be on either of the hands (playing or non-playing). India were assured of a first medal in badminton at the Paris Games when Sukant Kadam qualified for a SL4 semifinal against compatriot Suhas Yathiraj.
Mandeep Kaur, Palak Kohli wrap Paris campaigns
The result was tough for shuttlers Mandeep Kaur and Palak Kohli who were eliminated after very contrasting defeats in their respective quarterfinals on Sunday. Battling in the SL3 category, Mandeep showed a lacklustre performance against Nigeria’s third seed Bolaji Mariam Eniola as she went down by 8-21, 9-21 in 23 minutes. Mandeep lost to Eniola for a second consecutive time, having lost to the Nigerian in the group stage as well. The SL3 category includes players with severe lower-limb disability and they compete on a half-width court.
Meanwhile, para-world championship bronze medallist Palak, who competes in the SL4 category, fought valiantly but ultimately lost 19-21, 15-21 to Indonesia’s Khalimatus Sadiyah in 28 minutes. The SL4 category is for athletes who compete while standing with less severe impairment than in SL3.
Indian para-shuttlers Manisha Ramadass and Thulasimathi Murugesan will be up against each other in the badminton women’s singles SU5 semifinals at the Paris Paralympics 2024 on Sunday. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
