Paralympians Sivarajan Solaimalai and Sukant Kadam delivered standout performances, helping India win an impressive 24 medals at the Japan Para Badminton International on Sunday.
India won six gold, nine silver and as many bronze medals in the tournament.
Sivarajan enjoyed a double victory, clinching gold in the men’s singles SH6 class and partnering with Sudarsan Saravanakumar Muthusamy to win the top prize in men’s doubles.
Sukant also excelled, taking gold in men’s singles (SL4) and silver in men’s doubles (SL3-SL4) with partner Dinesh Rajaiah. He triumphed over fellow Indian Tarun in a thrilling singles final, winning 21-12, 21-10, while Naveen Sivakumar and Surya Kant Yadav secured bronze medals.
In the doubles final, Sukant and Dinesh fought valiantly but fell short against compatriots Umesh Vikram Kumar and Surya Kant Yadav, losing 5-21, 22-20, 16-21 to take home silver.
“Winning gold in singles and silver in doubles is incredibly special,” Sukant said in a release. “I thank my coaches, support team, and the entire para-badminton community for their unwavering support. This victory fuels my motivation to keep pushing boundaries.”
In other events, reigning Paralympic champion Kumar Nitesh claimed silver after a close match against Japan’s Daisuke Fujihara, losing 16-21, 21-18, 19-21 in the SL3 finals.
In women’s SU5, Manisha Ramdass captured gold by defeating Japan’s Mamiko Toyoda 21-12, 21-18, while Neeraj settled for silver in the women’s SL3 category after falling to Coraline Bergeron.
Neeraj also finished second in mixed doubles with Surya Kant Yadav in the SL3-SU5 category.
In men’s doubles SU5, Hardik Makkar and Ruthick Ragupati won gold, while Dev Rathi and Indonesia’s Bartlomiej Mroz secured silver. Hardik and Ruthick also earned silver and bronze in men’s singles SU5.
In the men’s doubles WH1-WH2 category, Abu Hubaida and Prem Kumar Ale took home bronze, while Alphia James bagged silver in the women’s singles WH2 category.
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