Indian para-badminton athlete Thulasimathi Murugesan clinched a historic silver medal for India as she lost to China's Yang Qiuxia in Women's Singles SU5 at the Paris Paralympics final on September 2. However, she achieved the significant milestone of competing as the first-ever Indian in the women's para-badminton gold medal match. Murugesan struggled against the Chinese opponent and lost the match 21-17, 21-10 in 30 minutes. Notably, Yang Qiuxia also won the gold medal in this event at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
Murugesan stormed into the final earlier on September 2 as she defeated compatriot Manisha Ramadass in a breathtaking semi-final showdown. Meanwhile, Ramadass won the bronze medal for India as she took down Catherine Rosengren of Denmark 21-12, 21-8.
Thulasimathi Vs Manisha In Semis
Top-seeded Thulasimathi Murugesan won the semi-final against Manisha Ramadass after winning 23-21, 21-17 in just under 40 minutes. Both para-shuttlers delivered a hard-fought match, showcasing a palpable hunger for victory and passion to bring glory to India.
Manisha Ramadass managed to take the lead in the first game as she scored 11-10. However, she faced an unfortunate series of errors like service misses and net faults, putting her opponent at an advantage. Murugesan then delivered a strategic game to make it to the final.
"It is like a dream come true. There is happiness but I need to prepare for the final. We (Murugesan, Ramadass) have a healthy competition every time. Strategy for the final-- we are playing after a long time, we will see. It has been a very hard journey for me," Murugesan told Jio Cinema.
Who Is Thulasimathi Murugesan?
Thulasimathi Murugesan is a native of Tamil Nadu's Kancheepuram. The 22-year-old was born with a congenital deformity in her left hand resulting in the loss of her thumb finger. She then met with a life-threatening accident which further affected her left hand, limiting mobility.
However, her father-- an ardent sports lover-- encouraged her to play badminton, even alongside able-bodied players. Murugesan got into badminton at age seven and has never looked back since. She is also a student of Veterinary Science at Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chennai.
Her sister, Kiruttigha, is also a shuttler and has won many district-level games.
Murugesan has won many accolades including a gold medal in the women’s doubles at the 5th Fazza Dubai Para-Badminton International 2023 with Manasi Joshi. She also won bronze at the event in the mixed doubles SL3 and SU5, along with Nitesh Kumar.
She won three medals at the Asian Para Games in China, clinching gold in the women's singles event, a silver in the women's doubles, and a bronze in the mixed doubles. She and Joshi also paired up to win a silver at the 2024 World Para-Badminton Championships in Thailand.
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