Nitesh Kumar and Thulasimathi Murugesan (X)
The Nitesh-Murugesan duo won the Group A contest 21-14, 21-17 against Yathiraj-Kohli in 31 minutes.
India’s Nitesh Kumar and Thulasimathi Murugesan had little difficulty overcoming country-mates Suhas Yathiraj and Palak Kohli in the opening group stage match of badminton mixed doubles (SL3-SU5) at the Paralympic Games here on Thursday.
The Nitesh-Murugesan duo won the Group A contest 21-14, 21-17 in 31 minutes.
Nitesh, 29, who hails from Karnal district in Haryana, and young Thulasimathi, a veterinary science student from Tamil Nadu who had won the mixed bronze at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, encountered little challenge in the first game and at one stage they were leading by seven points.
Unable to counter the pair’s net play and deep tosses, Suhas and Palak quickly found themselves trailing, losing the game in just 14 minutes.
The second game too went on similar lines with Palak clearly not able to match the prowess of her senior partner on court and giving away points.
SL3 players have moderate impairment on one side of the body, affecting either both legs or the absence of limbs, while SU5 players have significant impairments in their upper limbs.
Determined to return with their best-ever haul in the Paralympic Games, India’s biggest-ever contingent for the mega event will launch a historical campaign in Paris on Thursday with action starting in badminton, archery and table tennis.
The French Capital city of Paris welcomed the 17th edition of the Paralympic Games with a grand opening ceremony on Wednesday as the athletes featuring at the sporting spectacle displayed a happy and united front at the Palace La Concorde.
The 84-athlete strong Indian unit was led by flagbearers Sumit Antil and Bhagyashri Jadhav, as the unit representing the tricolour in Paris goes in search of glory.
This sporting extravaganza will begin on August 29 and last till September 8. During these 11 days of competition, nearly 4,400 athletes from 182 countries will be participating in 549 medal events. These events will involve 22 different sporting disciplines. France has arranged 18 venues to conduct these competitions.
India claimed a grand total of 19 medals at the Tokyo Paralympics 2020 and the Indian contingent will seek to better their record at the Parisian fest. The men and women representing the tricolour picked up 5 gold, 8 silver and 6 bronze at the event in Tokyo, and will be focused on improving the count this time around.
(with PTI inputs)
