India’s Sumathy Sivan Nithya Sre secured her first Paralympic medal by defeating former World Champion Rina Marlina of Indonesia 2-0 in the Women’s Singles SH6 category on Monday evening.
The 19-year-old Nithya Sre, who was the top seed in her category, dominated the match with a decisive 21-14, 21-6 victory in just 23 minutes. Marlina, who had claimed the gold medal in the Women’s Singles SH6 section at the Tokyo 2022 World Championships, could not match Nithya Sre’s performance.
Also Read: Sumit Antil Makes History As First Para-Athlete To Win Consecutive Paralympic Golds
This win was particularly sweet for Nithya Sre, who had earlier faced disappointment in the Mixed Doubles SH6 section. She and her partner Solaimalai Sivarajan had lost to Marlina and her partner Subhan Subhan, 17-21, 12-21, in the bronze medal match earlier in the day.
Determined to make amends, Nithya Sre came out aggressively in the Women’s Singles match, quickly taking a 7-0 lead in the first game. Although Marlina managed to level the score at 10-10, Nithya Sre surged ahead with five consecutive points to win the first game 21-14. In the second game, Nithya Sre maintained her dominance, pulling away from a 3-2 lead to 10-2 and maintaining control throughout. She sealed the game 21-6, finishing the match in less than half an hour.
This victory marks India’s fifth medal in the Paris Paralympic badminton competition and brings the country’s total medal count to 15, including three golds, five silvers, and seven bronzes. India currently stands 15th in the overall medal standings.
