CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu shuttlers assured India a medal as Manisha Ramadass of Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram’s Thulasimathi Murugesan set up a clash in the women’s singles SU5 semifinal at the Paris Paralympics on Sunday. However, star shooter Avani Lekhara missed out on repeating her medal-winning feat failing to qualify for the final following an 11th-place finish in the mixed 10m air rifle prone (SH1) qualification.
The 19-year-old Manisha, who was born with Erb’s palsy which affected her right arm, defeated 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 SU5 category, the players have impairment of the upper limbs. The impairment could be on the playing or non-playing hand.
A clinical mistake by doctors while guiding her out of the birth canal meant Manisha’s right arm got damaged even before she was born. Eldest among two sisters, she underwent three surgeries till she turned 12 but the damage could not be undone completely. Even as her parents were trying to fix the problem, Manisha found a way to overcome the tragedy by turning to sports. In the last four, Manisha will meet top seed Thulasimathi, who had beat Portugal’s Beatriz Monteiro in group A on Saturday.
However, Mandeep Kaur and Palak Kohli were eliminated following contrasting defeats in their respective quarterfinals.
Historic bronze
Preethi Pal created history as she became the first Indian woman track and field athlete to win two medals at the Paralympics while clinching the bronze in the 200m T35 category with a personal best time of 30.01 seconds.
The 23-year-old Preethi also became only the second Indian woman to win two medals — both bronze — in a single Paralympics after shooter Avani Lekhara who won a gold and a bronze in Tokyo three years ago. The bronze won by the 23-year-old Preethi was also India’s second para-athletics medal in the Paris Paralympics.
Nitesh in final
Top-seeded Indian shuttler Nitesh Kumar secured a medal in men’s singles SL3 category after a commanding straight-game win over Japan’s Daisuke Fujihara in the semifinals on Sunday. The 29-year-old Nitesh, who overcame permanent leg damage from a 2009 accident, showed his dominance with a 21-16, 21-12 win over Fujihara in a 48-minute semifinal.