Para Sports
Indonesia Para-Badminton International: Major talking points of the tournament
The Indian team had a great outing at the Indonesia Para-badminton International, despite missing their top players.
Indian para-shuttlers had a great outing at the Indonesia Para-Badminton International, winning over 30 medals at this Level 2 competition in Surakarta, Indonesia, on Sunday.
This was the first para-badminton international tournament after the Paris Paralympic Games. Hence, India rested their top para-shuttlers and sent a second-string side featuring many young players.
Only three Indians from the Paris Paralympics squad participated: Sukant Kadam (SL4), Mandeep Kaur (SL3), and Sivarajan Solaimalai (SH6). All three players had a successful tournament, each clinching silver medals in their respective singles categories.
Here are a few major talking points from the tournament:
#1 Hardik Makkar upsets Paralympic medalist
One of the major upsets of the tournament was Hardik Makkar's victory over Paralympic medalist Suryo Nugroho of Indonesia in the group stage of the men's singles SU5 category.
This marked Hardik's first victory against Suryo in their fourth meeting. However, he could not capitalize on this success and ended his journey without a medal, losing to Suryo again in the quarterfinals.
Despite this disappointment, Hardik teamed up with fellow player Ruthick Ragupathi to win the gold medal in the men's doubles category.
#2 Dominance continued in the SL3 category:
The SL3 category has always been one in which Indian para-shuttlers excel. At this tournament, India won three medals in the men's singles SL3 category, despite the absence of the top three players in this category.
A highlight was the all-Indian final between young player Nehal Gupta and Umesh Kumar. Umesh showcased his experience and secured the gold after a gritty three-game match.
Nehal settled for the silver medal but had an impressive outing and will look to build on this success in upcoming tournaments.
#3 Impressive outing in the wheelchair category
While India is not yet a powerhouse in the wheelchair category like in the standing category, they achieved commendable results at this tournament.
In the absence of top nations, the Indian team excelled in the wheelchair category, winning three gold medals, including both titles in the women’s singles wheelchair categories.
Alphia James secured gold in the women's singles WH2 category, while Pallavi Kuluvehalli claimed gold in the women's singles WH1 category.
The Indian wheelchair team aims to build on this success and challenge top nations as they return to the circuit.
List of Gold medalists
Umesh Kumar - Men's Singles SL3
Pallavi Kuluvehalli - Women's Singles WH1
Alphia James - Women's Singles WH2
Hardik Makkar / Ruthick Ragupathi - Men's Doubles SU5
Dhinagaran Pandurangan / Ivan Segura (ESP) - Doubles SH6
Prem Kumar Ale / Alphia James - Mixed Doubles WH1-WH2