India's Mixed Doubles Para-Badminton Duo Falls Short in Paris Paralympics Bronze Match

The Indian para-badminton duo of Sivarajan Solaimalai and Nithya Sre Sivan missed the bronze medal narrowly in the Paris Paralympics. India has garnered a total of seven medals so far in Paris, reflecting a significant advancement in the para-sports domain.

The Indian mixed doubles para-badminton team of Sivarajan Solaimalai and Nithya Sre Sivan missed out on the bronze medal at the ongoing Paris Paralympics on Monday. In their SH6 category match, Sivarajan-Nithya were defeated by Indonesia's Rina Marlina and Subhan in straight sets, 17-21, 12-21.

In their semifinal encounter, Sivarajan and Nithya lost to the USA's M Krajewski and J Simon with scores of 21-17, 14-21, 13-21 but managed to qualify for the bronze medal match. Despite the mixed doubles loss, India has accumulated a total of seven medals at the Paris Paralympics: one gold, two silvers, and four bronze medals.

Preeti Pal made history by clinching the bronze in the 200m T-35 race on Sunday, becoming the first Indian woman to win two track and field medals at the Paralympics. Her 200m finish time was 30.01 seconds, a personal best, alongside her previous bronze in the women's T35 100m race with a time of 14.21 seconds. Nishad Kumar captured a silver medal in the men's T47 high jump with a leap of 2.04 meters, marking his season-best.

Rubina secured bronze in the P2-Women's 10M Air Pistol SH-1 final with 211.1 points. Iran's Javanmardi Sareh won gold with 236.8 points, and Turkey's Ozgan Aysel took silver with 231.1 points. Avani Lekhara continued her Paralympics success by winning gold in the women's 10m air rifle, scoring a personal best of 249.7 points. Mona Agarwal also medaled, winning bronze with 228.7 points.

Manish Narwal added to India's tally with a silver in the men's P1 10m air pistol SH1 event. India's 84-athlete contingent in Paris, its largest ever, signifies the country's growing presence and competitiveness in para-sports globally. The 2024 Games aim for better performance than the Tokyo 2020, where India achieved its best-ever haul of 19 medals, five of them gold.

(With inputs from agencies.)