ndia has guaranteed a second medal in badminton at the Paris Paralympics, with Manisha Ramdass advancing to the women’s singles SU5 semifinals, where she will face fellow Indian Thulasimathi Murugesan on Sunday. The 19-year-old Manisha, who has Erb’s palsy affecting her right arm—a condition that results in nerve damage in the shoulder and arm leading to muscle weakness—showed no signs of struggle as she comfortably defeated Japan’s Mamiko Toyoda 21-13, 21-16 in the quarterfinals. The second-seeded Indian left-hander took just 30 minutes to overcome her unseeded opponent.
In the upcoming semifinals, Manisha will take on top seed Thulasimathi Murugesan, who had earlier defeated Portugal’s Beatriz Monteiro in a group A match on Saturday. In the SU5 category, players have impairments in their upper limbs, which can affect either their playing or non-playing hand.
On Saturday, Sukant Kadam also secured his place in the SL4 semifinals, setting up an all-Indian match against Suhas Yathiraj, ensuring India its first badminton medal of the Games. However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Indian team, as both Mandeep Kaur and Palak Kohli were eliminated after suffering defeats in their respective quarterfinals on Sunday.
Mandeep, competing in the SL3 category, struggled against Nigeria’s third seed Bolaji Mariam Eniola, losing 8-21, 9-21 in just 23 minutes. This marked Mandeep’s second consecutive loss to Eniola, having been defeated by the Nigerian in the group stages as well. The SL3 category is designated for players with severe lower-limb disabilities who compete on a half-width court.
In the SL4 category, Palak Kohli, a bronze medallist at the Para World Championships, put up a fight but ultimately lost 19-21, 15-21 to Indonesia’s Khalimatus Sadiyah in 28 minutes. The SL4 classification is for athletes competing while standing, with impairments less severe than those in the SL3 category.
Later in the day, Nithya Sivan Sumathy will be seen in action in the SH6 category quarterfinals against Poland’s Oliwia Szmigiel. The men’s singles SL4 semifinal will feature an all-Indian showdown between Suhas Yathiraj and Sukant Kadam.
Additionally, Nitesh Kumar will compete against Japan’s Daisuke Fujihara in the men’s singles SL3 semifinal. With multiple Indian players advancing to the latter stages of the competition, India is poised for a strong finish in badminton at the Paris Paralympics, bringing hope for more medals in the coming days.
