India’s para badminton campaign at the
The mixed doubles SH6 category saw the pair of
Semifinal Battles and Medal Tally
In the men’s singles SL4 category, Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj was involved in a tense three-game encounter against Indonesia’s Fredy Setiawan. After dropping a closely contested opening game 21-23, Suhas responded with a dominant 21-8 victory in the second to force a decider. The third game remained balanced until the midway point, but Setiawan eventually pulled away to seal a 23-21, 8-21, 21-15 win, leaving Suhas to claim the bronze.
The same event featured an all-Indian semifinal between Abhijeet Sakhuja and Naveen Sivakumar. Sivakumar proved the stronger player on the day, securing a 21-13, 21-15 victory to advance, while Sakhuja was awarded the bronze medal. These results contributed to India’s overall standing at the Games, which now sits at 68 medals, including 15 gold, 22 silver, and 31 bronze.
Earlier in the day, the mixed doubles SL3-SU5 pair of Manisha Ramadass and Pramod Bhagat also exited at the semifinal stage. Despite winning the opening game, they were unable to maintain their momentum against Indonesia’s Oktila Leani Ratri and Hikmat Ramdani, eventually falling 21-16, 13-21, 17-21.
Success Across Other Disciplines
While the badminton courts provided a steady stream of medals, Indian athletes also made significant progress in track and field. Dilip Gavit and Bhavik Bharwad both successfully qualified for the men’s 400m T47 final, clocking times of 50.21 seconds and 49.05 seconds, respectively. In the women’s 400m T11 event, Ravanni Valasanaini booked her place in the final with a personal-best time of 1:03.80.
The highlight of the day’s broader athletics program was Suvarna Raj’s gold medal performance in the women’s discus throw F54. Competing against a field of six, she produced a best effort of 15.66 metres on her fifth attempt. Her consistency was evident throughout the competition, as she recorded four throws beyond the 15-metre mark. Additionally, para-archer Swati Chaudhary earned a silver medal in the women’s W1 individual event, narrowly missing the top spot after a 4-6 defeat to China’s Mengkan Cen.
