Thulasimathi and Nitesh reach Asian Para Games final
Thulasimathi Murugesan and Nitesh Kumar reached the Asian Para Games mixed doubles SL3-SU5 final in Nagoya as two other Indian pairs claimed bronze.
AI-generated illustration · Not an actual photo of the events described
India’s Thulasimathi Murugesan and Nitesh Kumar reached the Asian Para Games mixed doubles SL3-SU5 final in Nagoya on Thursday, beating China’s Li Mingpan and Xiao Zuxian 21-19, 14-21, 21-17. Two other Indian pairs finished with bronze medals after losing their semifinals.
The 42-minute contest at Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium went to a deciding game after the Chinese pair fought back from a game down. Thulasimathi and Nitesh recovered their rhythm in the third to secure a place in the gold-medal match against Indonesia’s Leani Ratri Oktila and Hikmat Ramdani.
“We are very happy. It’s just that we have to focus on our next game,” Thulasimathi said after the semifinal.
Indian pairs take bronze
An all-Indian SL3-SU5 final was possible, but Manisha Ramdass and Pramod Bhagat lost their semifinal to Leani and Hikmat. The Indian pair won the opening game before the Indonesians came back to win 21-16, 13-21, 17-21, leaving Manisha and Pramod with bronze.
India’s other bronze came in the mixed doubles SH6 event. Krishna Nagar and Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan lost 14-21, 18-21 to Indonesia’s Rina Marlina and Subhan in their semifinal. Krishna also won silver in the men’s doubles event.
Nitesh said he and Thulasimathi had begun making errors during their match but regained their rhythm at the start of the deciding game. A lead when they changed sides, he said, gave them added confidence for the closing stages.
More medal matches ahead
Thulasimathi remains in contention for another gold in the women’s doubles SL3-SU5 event. She and Manasi Joshi are due to face China’s Yang Qiuxia and Xiao Zuxian in the gold-medal match on Friday.
Nitesh also has a men’s singles SL3 semifinal ahead of him against Indonesia’s Muh Al Imran. His mixed doubles final with Thulasimathi will be against the Indonesian pair who denied Manisha and Pramod a place in an all-Indian title match.
In para badminton, SL3 is for players with significant lower-limb impairments who compete on a half court, while SU5 is for players with upper-limb impairments. The mixed doubles SL3-SU5 event brings athletes from those two classifications together.
Source: Sportstar 羽球. This article was compiled by the iBET.news newsroom from the source report and other public information.
