'I am happy with the silver but a bit disappointed that I couldn't give my best'
India's para-badminton duo of Thulasimathi Murugesan and Manisha Ramadass won silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the women's singles SU5 category at the Paris Paralympics.
Thulasimathi, the top seed, fought valiantly but was ultimately defeated by China's defending champion Yang Qiuxia in the final. Despite her disappointment, Thulasimathi acknowledged her mistakes and expressed a desire to improve for future competitions.
"I am happy with the silver but a bit disappointed that I couldn't give my best," she said.
"I made a lot of mistakes. I should have taken the first set. I lost 1-2 points due to drift and then a few unforced errors, which gave her the lead."
Meanwhile, 19-year-old Manisha, who was born with Erb's Palsy affecting her right arm, secured the bronze by defeating Denmark's Cathrine Rosengren 21-12, 21-8.
"I am very happy. I am on cloud nine," said Manisha.
"I was really disappointed yesterday. I couldn't get over it. Since I woke up today, I was still thinking about the match. I was angry for making some errors yesterday, so I poured all that anger on the court today. But this is not enough for me; I will work hard for the next four years to change the colour of the medal."
The SU5 category is for athletes with upper limb impairments, which could affect the playing or non-playing hand.
Thulasimathi was born with a congenital deformity that left her without a thumb on her left hand. She faced numbness, tingling, and weakness in the hand and arm along with thinning of muscle mass.
Her challenges were further compounded by a severe injury from an accident that limited the mobility of her left hand, affecting its extension and flexion.
Despite her disability, Thulasimathi's athletic journey began at age five, and by seven, she was fully immersed in badminton.
Her passion for the sport grew, supported by her father, D. Murugesan, who trained her for five years. It was under his guidance that she was introduced to para sports, marking a pivotal moment in her career.
A significant achievement in Thulasimathi's career occurred when she and Manasi Joshi won the women's doubles SL3-SU5 category at the Canada Para Badminton International 2023 in Ottawa.
She also won three medals at the 2022 Asian Para Games, including gold in the women's singles.
Earlier in the day, there was heartbreak for second seeds Sivarajan Solaimalai and Nithua Sre Sumathy Sivan, who lost 17-21, 12-21 to the Indonesian pair Subhan and Rina Marlina in the mixed doubles SH6 bronze medal play-off.
