Nithya Sre Sivan won the bronze medal for India in the newly-introduced women’s singles badminton SH6 class at the Paris 2024 Paralympics on Monday.
It was India’s eighth medal of the day and fifth in badminton, all won on the same day. India won four medals in badminton at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
The 19-year-old Nithya, who came into the tournament as a top seed, dominated Indonesia’s Rina Marlina to win the contest 21-14, 21-6 in just 23 minutes.
The Indian shuttler made the bronze medal match after she was beaten by the People’s Republic of China’s Lin Shuangbao 21-13, 21-19 in the SH6 semi-finals.
Athletes competing in the SH6 class have short stature and play in standing positions. S in SH stands for ‘standing’ while H stands for ‘short stature’
Earlier in the day, Indian badminton player Nitesh Kumar won the gold medal in the men’s singles SL3 class. Suhas Yathiraj won silver in the men’s singles SL4 Thulasimathi Murugesan and Manisha Ramadass won silver and bronze, respectively, in the women’s singles SU5 class.
Nithya’s Paralympic medal took India’s tally at Paris 2024 to 15. It is only the second time in the Paralympics history that India have crossed the 10-medal mark.
India won 19 medals, including five golds at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics for their best show in the competition. At Paris 2024, India have won three gold medals so far.
The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today congratulated Nithya Sre Sivan on winning a Bronze medal in the Women’s Singles Badminton SH6 event at the ongoing Paris Paralympics.
Shri Modi said her feat has inspired countless people.
The Prime Minister posted on X:
“Congratulations to Nithya Sre Sivan on winning the Bronze medal in the Women’s Singles Badminton SH6 event at the #Paralympics2024! Her feat has inspired countless people and highlights her passion as well as dedication to the game. @07nithyasre #Cheer4Bharat”