BENGALURU: India's Tanvi Patri wrote history as she became the first Indian woman to win an individual silver at the ongoing Youth Olympics in Dakar.
Patri, the 15-year-old known as the next PV Sindhu, gave it her all in the final before going down to China's Zhang Yi Xin. In a hard-fought summit clash — the match lasted 82 minutes — the Chinese prevailed 21-15, 13-21, 24-26.
An ideal place to start would be China, the country of her opponent. It's where Patri first picked up the game as her father, Rabinarayan, had gone there on work. Once the Covid-19 pandemic brought the family back to Bengaluru, where she was born, she began training at the Centre of Badminton Excellence.
"All of us at the academy are very proud of the way she played the entire tournament," Sagar Chopda, head coach of the CBE, told this daily. "Very commendable performance."
When Chopda was asked to elaborate on the first steps she took, he said: "Tanvi joined the academy in 2021. Firstly, she had come for a 10-day trial. Looking at her, all of us knew that she was really good for her age. There were certain things that a 10-year-old would generally not be able to do. But she did all of those.
"Her footwork, the way she was moving and she was also striking the shuttle really well. These were some of the things that stood out."
What also stood out in Patri's game, who represents Odisha, was her on-court smartness and match temperament. Chopda said that these are things you can't teach a player. "You can tell them to work on these things but the how... these are the things that players themselves have to figure out. She's one of the players who can do this really well. She has also started mixing her clears really well along with the downward shots."
One area where some more work needs to be put in is in her fitness. "Even though she has displayed solid fitness throughout the tournament... even in the final, she played an 80-minute match, she has to get fitter once she starts progressing (to the seniors)."
Even though she hasn't sparred with the likes of Lakshya Sen and Sindhu — as part of the junior programme, she has her own training routines and there's no overlap — she has watched them in training multiple times. It's something Chopda said will keep her in good stead, going forward.
"I think this achievement means a lot to me and it will encourage me to play well in the future tournaments. And next year I am going to compete in Indonesia for the International Challenge Tournament. I hope I play well there," she had said after the match.
Before Tanvi, HS Prannoy (2010) and Lakshya Sen (2018) were the only Indians to have won individual silver medals at the Youth Olympic Games.
"Tanvi Patri has made the entire nation proud with a historic achievement at the Youth Olympic Games. Winning a silver medal at just 15 is an extraordinary accomplishment and a moment of immense pride for India," Badminton Association of India General Secretary Sanjay Mishra said.
"Her fighting spirit, composure and performances throughout the competition reflect the immense potential of our young sporting generation. This achievement is a significant milestone for Indian sport and a testament to the growing presence of our athletes on the global stage," he added.
