Paralympics 2024: Shuttlers Suhas, Manisha assure badminton medals; shooter Avani misses out

PTI, Sep 2, 2024, 8:02 AM IST

Representative image (Source: iStock)

Paris/Chateauroux: Suhas Yathiraj positioned himself for unprecedented glory by reaching the summit clash for a second consecutive time after fellow shuttler Manisha Ramadass also assured India of a medal but star shooter Avani Lekhara missed out on repeating her medal-winning feat in her pet event at the Paris Paralympics here Sunday.

Tokyo Games silver medallist Suhas is set to become the first Indian shuttler to win back-to-back medals at the Paralympics after outplaying compatriot Sukant Kadam in straight games to reach the men’s singles SL4 final.

The 41-year-old Suhas, a 2007 batch IAS officer, beat Sukant 21-17, 21-12 to make another final at the global showpiece.

Later, Nitesh Kumar also guaranteed a medal for himself in SL3 with a 21-16 21-12 victory over Japan’s Daisuke Fujihara in the semifinal.

Before Suhas sizzled, it was Manisha who set up an all-Indian women’s singles SU5 semifinal with compatriot Thulasimathi Murugesan, assuring the country of at least a silver.

The 19-year-old Manisha, who was born with Erb’s palsy which affected her right arm, had no trouble in dispatching Japan’s Mamiko Toyoda 21-13 21-16 in the quarterfinals. The second seeded Indian left-hander needed 30 minutes to down her unseeded rival.

Erb’s palsy is a nerve disorder in the shoulder and arm that results in weakness or loss of muscle function.

In the last four, Manisha will meet top seed Thulasimathi, who had defeated Portugal’s Beatriz Monteiro in group A on Saturday.

In SU5 category, the players have impairment of the upper limbs. The impairment could be on the playing or non-playing hand.

However, Mandeep Kaur and Palak Kohli were eliminated in the quarterfinals.

Competing in SL3 category, Mandeep lost to Nigeria’s third seed Bolaji Mariam Eniola, losing 8-21 9-21.

SL3 category is for players with severe lower-limb disability competing on a half-width court.

In SL4 category, para world championship bronze medallist Palak went down fighting 19-21 15-21 to Indonesia’s Khalimatus Sadiyah in 28 minutes. In this category, athletes compete while standing with less severe impairment than in SL3.

NO SUCCESS IN SHOOTING RANGE

After the high of four medals in two days, there was disappointment in store for India in the shooting range with Lekhara failing to qualify for the final following a 11th-place finish in the mixed 10m air rifle prone (SH1) qualification in which Sidhartha Babu ended 28th.

In the mixed 10m air rifle prone (SH2) qualification, Sriharsha Devaraddi Ramakrishna ended in 26th place with a total of 630.2.

In the Paralympics mixed event, both men and women compete on the line against each other.

Coming off her historic gold medal in the 10m air rifle standing SH1 event, Lekhara ended the competition with a total of 632.8.

Avani’s sequence of scores read 105.7, 106.0, 104.1, 106.0, 104.8, 106.2, while Sidhartha had scores of 104.6, 103.8, 105.7, 104.9, 103.6, 105.7.

In SH1, athletes are able to hold their gun without difficulty and shoot from a standing or sitting position (in a wheelchair or chair).

Sidhartha aggregated 628.3 across six series.

Athletes classified in SH2 category are unable to hold their rifle independently, so they use a stand, but can aim by themselves and control the weapon when they shoot. Certain athletes may have an assistant to reload their gun.

Only the top eight from qualification progress to the final.

The 44-year-old Devaraddi scored 105.2 in Series 1, improved it to 105.7 in the next series. He followed that with a sequence of 105.4, a disappointing 104.3, 105.6 and 104.0.

Eleven years ago, an accident left him with limited control over his limbs.

STRUGGLE IN TRACK AND FIELD

Ravi Rongali finished a creditable fifth in the men’s F40 shot put final while Rakshita Raju bowed out in the opening round heats of women’s 1500m T11 race on the third day of athletics competitions.

Rongali, who had won a silver in the Asian Para Games last year in China, produced a personal best of 10.63m but that was not enough in a top-class field.

World record holder Miguel Montero of Portugal won the gold with a throw of 11.21m while Mongolia’s Battulga Tsegmid (11.09m) took the silver.

Reigning Asian Para Games champion Garrah Tnaiash of Iraq took the bronze with a throw of 11.03m while Russian Tokyo Paralympics gold medallist and reigning world para athletics champion Denis Gnezdilov, who was competing as Neutral Paralympic Athlete, was fourth with 10.80m.

F40 class is for para athletes with short stature.

Earlier, Rakshita, 23, finished last in Heat 3 after clocking 5:29.92s.

The two runners from the three heats qualified for the final.

The T11 category is for athletes with visual impairment, which may be entire loss of vision or he or she may be able to perceive light, but have no ability to see the shape of a hand at any distance.

RAKESH SHINES

World No 1 archer Rakesh Kumar overcame a blip to defeat Ken Swagumilang of Indonesia in the shoot-off and enter his successive Paralympics quarterfinals in the compound men open category.

Rakesh held his slender one-point lead and needed a 9-point to seal the issue in five ends. But he slipped with an 8-pointer red-ring, leaving both the archers locked at 144-144 after regulation five ends comprising 15 arrows.

In the shoot-off, the 39-year-old veteran held his nerve to shoot a perfect 10, while Ken managed an 8.