Indian Debutants to watch out for in Paris Olympics 2024

Nikhat Zareen appears to be standing at the forefront of the list of debutants in Paris 2024. let's take a look at seven promising Indians making their Olympics debut in Paris.

Payal Debnath

Jul 12, 2024, 4:18 PM

Indian Debutants to watch out for in Paris Olympics 2024

The Paris Olympics 2024 will begin on July 26 in Paris, the capital of France, in which more than 100 Indian athletes will show their mettle to reach the podium of the world's biggest sports stage.

This time Indian athletes will have a golden opportunity to destroy all the old records. The last Tokyo Olympics has been the most successful for India. But this time India has full hope of getting at least 10 medals. If this happens, it will be the first time in Olympic history that India will get double-figure medals.

Nikhat Zareen appears to be standing at the forefront of the list of debutants in Paris 2024. let's take a look at seven promising Indians making their Olympic debut in Paris.

Also Read: Paris Olympics 2024: PUMA India announces its partnership with IOA as official footwear partner

Debutants to watch out for in Paris 2024

7. Jyothi Yarraji

Debutants to watch out for in Paris 2024

24-year-old hurdles sprinter Jyothi Yarraji has won a series of medals leading up to Paris 2024, with golds in the Asian Athletic and Asian Indoor Athletic Championships. Yarraji secured quota through the world rankings route. Though the women’s 100m hurdles event has been part of the Summer Games since 1972, this will be the first time an Indian athlete is present on the start list.

The hurdler from Andhra Pradesh could have secured automatic entry to Paris if not for an injury to her lead leg that she suffered at the Monet Grand Prix in Finland in May. She clocked 12.78 seconds in Finland, missing the qualification mark by only 0.01 seconds.

6. Parul Chaudhary

World Athletics Championship 2023: Neeraj Chopra wins historic gold, Parul Chaudhary breaks national record to qualify for Paris Olympics

At the Paris Olympics 2024, Parul Chaudhary will participate not only in the women’s 3000m steeplechase but also in the 5000m event. She qualified for the Olympics by breaching the Olympic qualification mark and in the latter through the Road to Paris World Rankings. Chaudhary shot into the limelight with a gold in the 5000m and silver in the 3000m steeplechase events of the Hangzhou Asian Games last year. The 28-year-old is the first Indian to clock less than nine minutes in the 3000m women’s steeplechase.

Also Read: India's schedule in Paris Olympics 2024 by sports

5. Sreeja Akula

Debutants to watch out for in Paris 2024

Sreeja Akula, who played an important role in helping India obtain quotas for the team event at the Paris 2024 Summer Games, is set to make her Olympic debut in both team and individual events. In 2022, Sreeja teamed up with Sharath Kamal to win the mixed doubles gold in her first-ever Commonwealth Games appearance in Birmingham.

Sreeja also created history in Lagos by becoming the first Indian table tennis player to win a WTT Contender singles title. The 25-year-old Indian table tennis player hopes to carry the momentum and create a few upsets in Paris.

4. Lakshya Sen

Debutants to watch out for in Paris 2024

Lakshya Sen, the 'new star of Indian badminton' secured his spot at the Olympics by finishing 13th in the Paris 2024 Olympic Qualification Rankings (OQR) with 64021 points. He also ensured that India would have two men’s singles player representatives at the Olympics for the first time since 2004.

Lakshya has immense potential for the upcoming Paris 2024. He recently made a comeback with two consecutive semi-final finishes in the BWF European World Tour and French Open Super 750. He won three deciders at the French Open and All England Opens and two in two consecutive weeks which shows his sheer Potential, and determination to perform well on the big stage.

Also Read: Paris Olympics 2024: Gagan Narang to be India's Chef-de-Mission while PV Sindhu and Sharath Kamal will be India's flagbearers

3. Anshu Malik

Debutants to watch out for in Paris 2024

Indian wrestler Anshu Malik is a strong medal contender at the Paris Olympics. Anshu had won a silver medal at the recent Ranking Series event in Budapest in the women's 57kg, losing the final to China's Kexin Hong. The 22-year-old Anshu had qualified for Paris 2024 by winning a gold medal at the Asian Olympic Qualifier in April. At the age of 18, Malik qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, losing to the eventual silver medallist, Iryna Kurachkina, while missing out on a medal in the repechage round.

2. Kishore Jena

Debutants to watch out for in Paris 2024

Neeraj Chopra may be India's big hope in javelin but don't count out Kishore Jena, who followed up Chopra's gold at the 2022 Asian Games with a silver of his own. Jena got his ticket to the Paris Olympics via direct entry, as the qualifying cutoff is 85.50 m. Jena clinched the qualification with an 86.77-meter throw at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year.

During that event, he marked 87.54 m, just behind Neeraj Chopra’s mark of 89.94 m at the Stockholm Diamond League in June 2022. Jena believes that the Paris 2024 Olympics are a time for a turnaround. His entire focus is on Paris rather than future plans and that's why he could be a medal contender for sure.

Also Read: Paris Olympics 2024: Indian athletes who qualified for the Paris 2024

1. Nikhat Zareen

Debutants to watch out for in Paris 2024

After clinching bronze at the 2023 Asian Games and gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, boxer Nikhat Zareen is one of India's brightest medal prospects at Paris 2024. Zareen is only the second Indian woman to win more than one world title in the history of the competition.

She joined none other than the legendary MC Mary Kom to have multiple boxing world titles. Among her memorable performances in her boxing career, came her win over three-time European Championships medallist Ukraine's Tetiana Kob which came at the  Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament in 2022. No surprise that her medals tally is expected to grow and an Olympic medal is what 1.4 billion are expecting from her at the Paris Olympics 2024.

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Manika Batra creates history- First Indian to reach the WTT quarterfinals

The World Number 30 Manika Batra stunned the table tennis arena by defeating World Number 14 Bernadette Scoz from Romania, becoming the first-ever Indian to reach the WTT quarterfinals at France.

Ritwika Nag

Oct 26, 2024, 9:45 AM

Manika Batra creates history- First Indian to reach the WTT quarterfinals

The World Number 30 Manika Batra stunned the table tennis arena by defeating World Number 14 Bernadette Scoz from Romania, becoming the first ever Indian to reach the WTT quarterfinals in France.

A four-time Commonwealth medalist and an Olympian, Manika Batra, survived a 5 point defeat in the second set, winning the rest two later. On Friday, against Scoz, she saved two game points in the third game to keep herself ahead. finally sealing the tie in the next game, converting her second march point.

Manika won 3-1 (11-9, 6-11, 13-11, 11-9) in 29 minutes against the eighth-seeded Scoz in a round-16 match. Nevertheless, Manika enjoys a safe lead against Scoz- 6-5.

Read Also: Commonwealth Games 2026: A trailer for permanent shut down?

Manika Batra to face Tianyi

Qian-Tianyi-sportzpoint.com
Courtesy: Getty Images

Manika Batra will play the quarterfinal on Saturday. There she will meet the World number 21 Qian Tianyi from China.

Tianyi reached the quarterfinal after defeating Wang Yidi by 3-0 (11-7, 11-9, 13-11) in another R-16 match.

In the first round, Manika's first prey was USA's Lily Zhang, against whom she won in a straight set of 3-0 (11-4, 11-8, 12-10)

The other Indian in queue in women's singles, Sreeja Akula, however, got defeated by World No. 13 Adriana Diaz of Puerto Rico. Diaz defeated Akula by 2-3 (11-6, 7-11, 1-11, 11-8, 8-11)

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"Looking at the Olympics performance, its unfortunate that we didn’t win a medal": Mary Kom hints to make a comeback in Pro-Boxing

Notably, so far only three Indian boxers have won medals in the Olympics – Vijender Singh (bronze in Beijing 2008), Mary Kom (bronze in London 2012) and Lovlina Borgohain (bronze in Tokyo 2020).

Payal Debnath

Sep 30, 2024, 12:30 PM

"Looking at the Olympics performance, its unfortunate that we didn’t win a medal": Mary Kom hints to make a comeback in Pro-Boxing

Six-time world champion MC Mary Kom expressed disappointment over the poor performance of Indian boxers in the Paris Olympics 2024. She said that being a medal winner, it is natural that she feels bad.

Also Read: Cricket versus "Sports": A friend or a foe?

India had sent a team of six boxers to the Paris 2024, which included two men and four women. It also included Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Lovlina Borgohain and world champion Nikhat Zareen.

Mary Kom expressed her desire to re-enter professional boxing

Mary Kom expressed her desire to re-enter professional boxing, stating, "I am planning to make a comeback.I will try to make a comeback in pro-boxing." In the same event, she shared her happiness in participating in sports-promoting events but remained concerned about India's performance at the Olympics. 

'We will assess what needs to be done'

Mary Kom told IANS during the Army Sports Conclave, "Looking at the Olympics performance, its unfortunate that we didn’t win a medal in the 2024 Olympics. We will assess what needs to be done moving forward and what shouldn’t be done,"

India's boxing campaign was disappointing 

Lovlina (women's 75kg) missed out on a historic second medal at the Paris Olympics and lost to China's Li Qian in the quarterfinals. At the same time, in the men's 71 kg category, Nishant Dev had reached the quarter-finals, but he had to face defeat from Marco Verde of Mexico.

Two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen (women's 50kg), Commonwealth Games champion Amit Panghal (men's 51kg) and Preeti Pawar (women's 54kg) lost in the round of 16 in their respective categories. Jasmine Lamboria (women's 57 kg) was eliminated in the round of 32. Overall, India's Paris Olympics boxing campaign was disappointing.

Also Read: Neeraj Chopra’s best throws: Here are all the top throws by javelin ace Neeraj Chopra

"As a world champion and medallist myself, its natural to feel disappointed. We'll focus on more practice and hard work for the upcoming tournaments," Mary Kom added.

Only three boxers achieved olympic medal

Notably, so far only three Indian boxers have won medals in the Olympics – Vijender Singh (bronze in Beijing 2008), Mary Kom (bronze in London 2012) and Lovlina Borgohain (bronze in Tokyo 2020).

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Indian Badminton players struggle with the slow court: Here is why

Indian Badminton players even after dominating in the Asian countries fail repeatedly in countries like Europe and Olympic stages. What can be the underlying problem?

Ritwika Nag

Sep 25, 2024, 2:36 PM

Indian Badminton players struggle with the slow court: Here is why

The contemporary Indian Badminton has so far gained the popularity in its country. However, certain issues need to be resolved. The biggest concern lies in the shuttlers facing a different environment in the non-Asian Countries. The major problem they face is the thick and slower court. 

This issue had made India short of many assured medals by whiskers. Be it peak Kidambi Srikanth missing his World Title in 2017 to Reddy-Shetty failing in big tournaments.

Kidambi Srikanth- sportzpoint.com

How do Indian and Asian Courts differ from European Courts?

The Asian Summers

Speaking about the weather in the Asian summers, it is humid. The Asian stadia provide full on air-conditioned courts for athletes. 

Air-conditioned rooms are marked favorable for shuttles, as the shuttles fly faster here. Here are the reasons:

  • Lower air density: Air conditioning reduces temperature and humidity, resulting in denser air with fewer air molecules. This decrease in air resistance allows shuttlecocks to travel faster.
  • Reduced air turbulence: Air conditioning systems circulate and filter the air, minimizing turbulence and air pockets that can slow down the shuttlecock.
  • Consistent airflow: Air conditioning maintains a consistent airflow, reducing unpredictable air currents that can affect shuttlecock trajectory.
  • Lower humidity: Dry air reduces the shuttlecock's drag coefficient, enabling it to fly faster.

This helps the athletes to maintain faster rallies and increased smashes with an attacking play. The also helps them to read the speed and work on their reaction time'

Added to this, the enhthralling supporters add more fuel to the pagddlers when tired.

European winters

European winters contradics the humid weather. Unlike the windy weather here, the air feels cal, slow and still. 

Slow and still air significantly impacts shuttlers' performance, technique, and strategy. it included different physical challenges along with rectified techniques and strategies.

The challanges a shuttler faces due to these conditions are as follows:

  • Reduced shuttlecock speed: Slower reactions, less power.
  • Increased drag: Shuttles dip and drop unexpectedly.
  • Unpredictable trajectory: Difficulty judging distance and direction.
  • Fatigue: Players expend more energy to generate power.

However, these are the "negetives" bigger stages like Olympics, offer.

Slow court, A Bane to the Shuttlers

Here are some instances when paddles were denied their crown due to the courts' behaviour.

  • 2017 Kidambi Srikanth, a fast court specialist in India missed his Worlds Title in the slow Glaswegian conditions. The slow pitch defied from the title as the Korean Son Wan-ho defeated him in the quarterfinal.
  • Tanvi Patri, a 13 year old rookie got defeated in Thailand's sluggish pitch last December. The thick air denied her speed, showing a red alert that she needs to gain some strength.
  • And the most discussed duo- Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty. Right now, Reddy-Shetty is the finest doubles player in Indian Badminton periphery. Reddy still has his world fastest smash of 493km/hr. Even then, this duo cannot assert full power in slow court. And thus, they lost a few of the most serious and well-deserved titles.

Demands of Sluggish Pitches

Slow and still air significantly impacts shuttlers' performance, techniques, and strategies. Someone who was been trained on faster courts will find it difficult to adapt to the conditions if exposed.

The shuttles face certain physical changes that are listed below:

  • Reduced shuttlecock speed: Slower reactions, less power.
  • Increased drag: Shuttles dip and drop unexpectedly.
  • Unpredictable trajectory: Difficulty judging distance and direction.
  • Fatigue: Players expend more energy to generate power.

An athlete thus needs to make a few technical adjustments to combat the challenges.

  • Slower stroke speed: Compensate for reduced shuttlecock speed.
  • Increased wristwork: Generate power and control.
  • Softer touches: Reduce shuttlecock's descent.
  • More spin: Control shuttlecock trajectory.

The strategic changes include:

  • Patient play: Waiting for opportunities to attack.
  • Defensive focus: Exploiting opponents' struggles.
  • Net play: Using precise, soft shots.
  • Angle play: Creating sharp angles to disrupt opponents.

Effects on a few notable Shots:

  1. Smashes: Less effective due to reduced power.
  2. Clear shots: More difficult to execute.
  3. Drops: Harder to control.

Slow Court? Not an Issue!

Not an old story when Lakshya Sen lost to Victor Axelsen in the Olympics semi-final. Slower Courts like that in Europe, especially in stages like Olympics demand patience and exquisite footwork, with strong defence. Lakshya had his defence in the checklist, but his footwork was still a sore in his throat. The Denmark giant was a set ahead when Lakshya fought but lost to nerves.

Axelsen defeated Sen in Olympics SF- sportzpoint.com
Lakshya Sen shaking hands with Victor Axelsen after being defeated in the Olympics Semifinal. (AP) 

The bronze medal match had all these including his exposed injury in his smashing hand. The defence he has can aid in this condition but muscular opponents are still a challange to him.

The other veteran on court H.S. Pranoy is a clever lad with versatile techniques. He has got his techniques handy to combat the sluggishness. He thus not only won in Malaysia, but has a Worlds medal round his neck.

Two-time Olympic medalist P.V. Sindhu with her blazing power heft and work rate till 2019, defies these challanging conditions. The Olympic bronze medalist Saina Nehwal with her sturdy power smash overshadowed her limitations in court coverage capabilities.

PV Sindhu- sportzpoint.com

Indian Approach

India has a love for stroke-making. Even though it is aesthetically pleasing, it question the  practicality in World Badminton.

With the October ticks in, the Europe session starts. The badminton camp then comes back and does a wide India-hoping, visiting smallcities playing number of tournaments! But how that that judge their efficiency in slow courts!

Read also: BAI to give Rs 50 lakh cash rewards to Paris Paralympics 2024 medalists

The slow courts host a major number of important international tournaments. With India not getting enough time their will never expire the frustration of them not getting medals.

Rookies like Priyanshu Rajawat will depend more on strokeplays like his ancestor Srikant used todo. Not failing the later, Rajawat will succumb to frustrating errors, missing points. Srikant had Son Wan-ho, but Rajawat will have way more equipped opponents-  Kunlavut Vitidsarn and of Kodai Naraoka.

Its high time for Indian to spend more time on slow courts, count quality over quantity, in order to not miss any well deserved title in fututre, 

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Cricket versus "Sports": A friend or a foe?

The "cricket versus sport" is an age-old fight between fans and athletes from different disciplines. But, does the sport cricket deserve all the hate?

Ritwika Nag

Sep 25, 2024, 10:52 AM

Cricket versus "Sports": A friend or a foe?

A lot of instances have seen cricket being differentiated from other sports. Especially, in South Asian countries, where cricket rules a fraternity, "sports" look doomed. An established "Cricket versus Sports" league is not a 2-month long tournament. It's an age-long duel with apparent results. But, is cricket guilty?

If we look back, Cricket was not as big as it is now. Restricted within the allies of a colonized country, cricket was just a time pass. 36 years to Independence, but a famous singer (Lata Mangeshkar) had to arrange a charity musical show to gather prize money for the 1983 World Cup Winners.

1983 World Cup- sportzpoint.com
The image of Kapil lifting the World Cup trophy from the iconic Lord's balcony. Photo Collcted.

India gained some confidence since then. the biggest boost came after the win in the inaugurating T20 World Cup Win. 2007, 24the September, exactly 20 years back, the seed of the cash-rich league got sown. 

Indian Premier League, started in 2008, is the biggest source of money earning for BCCI. Keeping aside BCCI, the neighbouring cricketing nations have their cricket board more powerful than the other boards. But is this a fault of Cricket?

"Athletes" ignites the fire of "Cricket versus Sport" League

India won its second T20I World Cup after ending its 11 years of drought. The fans who were frustrated for a decade finally got one thing to celebrate. The Marine Drive got flooded with people. The Wankahde Stadium showed all its suppresed love to the team.

World Cup celebration- sportzpoint.com
The Indian team received a grand welcome at the  Mumbai's Marine Drive that was followed by a felicitation ceremony at the Wankhede Stadium. AP

Felicitations came from their respective state governments. BCCI provided a huge lump of prize money to the players and the support staff.

But this has triggered athletes from different sports. Names like Chirag Shetty and Saina Nehwal came into the limelight criticizing the sport. When Shetty wanted equal recognition for India's win in the last Uber Cup, Saina went a step ahead. Her view was simple- people wouldn't even hate cricket even if she did so. But, why would someone hate cricket?

This is not a once or twice-told story. This widespread competition with cricket is not new. But is cricket a foe to other sports? Here are a few stories of "influence" and "idolization" in the recent past, not only from India but from neighbors too.

Sri Lanka Cricket funded CWG participating athletes.

Palitha Bandara recorded a distance of 44.20 meters and won the silver medal for Sri Lanka. Photo collected- sportzpoint.com
Palitha Bandara recorded a distance of 44.20 meters and won the silver medal for Sri Lanka. Photo collected

The pre-2022 Commonwealth Games has seen an economic crisis in Sri Lanka. Not just economic, but the life on the island was distressed. The then Prime Minister Rajadhakshya fled from the country. Sri Lanka since its independence faced their record crisis.

The country fell short of food and fuel. The pandemic had already hit the Sports authorities. The crisis increased the hardships. They ran out of money. The situation was so pathetic that the boards couldn't manage transport to send the accessories to the athletes

At a point, the country thought of withdrawing its name from the Birmingham CWG. But at that very moment, Sri Lanka Cricket stepped in.

The board contributed 22 million Sri Lankan Rupees to the athletes participating. They hosted Australia and gathered the amount, despite the fears of the crowd ruining it.

Cricket Sri Lanka tried to cover all the funds. However, the athletes still had limited athleisure. CWG authorities too came in help for the athletes. Sri Lanka finished the CWG Campaign with four medals (one silver and three bronze).

Pakistan Cricket Board- the unsung sponsor for Arshad Nadeem

Arshad nadeem
Arshad Nadeem Won the gold medal for Pakistan, at Paris Olympics. Photo coutesy: Olympics

The Paris Olympics Gold medallist Arshad Nadeem was initially an age-group cricket player, His focus later shifted to javelin through which Pakistan got its first medal after 1992.

Arshad Nadeem registered a monstrous throw of 92.97 metres sealing the gold for his country. Earlier he won the silver at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, Budapest, with a throw of 87.82 meters. He gave Pakistan’s first-ever medal at the World Athletics Championships.

But what did Pakistan give him? ignorance! The Commonwealth champion earlier expressed that he has been using a javelin for the last 8 years. His bosom friend and admirer Neeraj Chopra from India tweeted, urging the Pakistan Government to buy Nadeem news javelins.

Nadeem hails from Punjab's Miyan Channu village. Struggling themselves, the villagers funded him for his Olympic campaign. Added, that it was the Pakistan Cricket Bard who sponsored him.

PCB also financed Nadeem and his coach Salman Fayyaz Butt's air tickets.

Read also: A Bronze costs just USD 100: Trembling Future of Pakistan Hockey Team

BCCI's baby steps for Olympians

Earlier BCCI secretary Jay Shah announced financial aid for the Olympians.BCCI granted Rs. 8.5 Crores (approximately $1.03 million) to the Indian Olympic Association for their Olympics campaign.

Recently a new NCA (National Cricket Academy) is near completion. The old existing facilities at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in the city center will be upgraded to a multi-sport training facility.

Apart from the cricketers, it will open doors for the Olympians too. NCA will have new facilities that will let them train there.

The new facilities will have World-Class Playing Grounds will have:

  • 45 Practice Pitches: A variety of pitches to cater to different training needs.
  • Indoor Cricket Facilities: For year-round practice and skill development.
  • Olympic-Sized Swimming Pool: To aid in recovery and cross-training for athletes.
  • State-of-the-Art Training and Recovery Facilities: Equipped with the latest sports science technology to help athletes maintain peak physical condition and recover efficiently from injuries.

Cricketer- "athlete" collaboration

When one section came forward criticizing the fame, the other one took it handy to make their own.

Mahi's influence

Speaking about Swapnil Kusale, he himself mentioned that he doesn't follow any other sport apart from shooting. But he follows Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Kusale, who is an Indian Railways employee is a ticket checker like Dhoni. It took him 12 years to feature in the Olympics. And take India's first ever 10m Rifle position 3 medal. The Asian Games Champion accepted that MS's calm personality helps him to stay calm in chaos.

The Kohli aggression

One of the biggest heartbreak for any badminton fan was Lakshya Sen's exit from the Olympics without a medal. The Chinese Lee Zii Jia shattered Sen's bronze medal dream. 

But Sen's popularity is still unmatched in the sports arena. Even though he is "big," he still wants to "be the Virat Kohli of Indian badminton in coming years." In "The Ranveer Show" podcast he expressed his admiration for Kohli.

The other name that comes in the list is Nitesh Kumar. The Olympic Champion in the Men's Singles SL3 category is a Kohli fan. His winning celebration had some glimpses of Kohli's aggression.

But Nitesh's love for Kohli is not limited to celebrations. After succumbing to a deadly injury in Vizag, he started upgrading his badminton skills. Not only that, he delved himself into fitness, inspired by the 2013 version of Kohli.

The Wall looks upon The Wall

PR Sreejesh- sportzpoint.com
P.R Sreejesh celebrated in his unique style after winning the bronze medal at paris. (Reuters Photo)

Soon after retirement, Indian Men's Hockey team goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh was assigned to train the junior hockey team. The two-time Olympic Bronze medallist was delighted to get this role. he not only talked about the future prospects but did mentioned about Rahul Dravid.

"The Wall" of Indian Hockey looked upon "The Wall" of Indian Cricket when it came to coaching. The way Dravid devoted himself to training the cricketing juniors, Seejesh is looking forward to doing the same for his sports.

Read also: Hockey India decides to retire jersey No. 16 in honor of goalkeeper PR Sreejesh

Cricket is another sport

The 2028 Olympics will feature Cricket after 128 years. The brand value of Virat Kohli played a pivotal role in the addition of cricket. But as Sunil Chhetri, the Indian former captain of Indian Football once said, Cricket excelling is great for that country. Then, how does that justify other sports not getting the "love" cricket gets?

How does that justify Chirag Shetty repeatedly slipping down on the court, in the Olympics quarterfinal, having his partner Sattwikraj Rankireddy as the lone warrior? 

How does that justify the associations not getting enough funds and definitely investing to find talent?

How does that justify archers failing to read the wind in bigger stages?

It's an open-ended question. Is it cricket the enemy, or the system? Is cricket actually an enemy or a friend in need?

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China Open 2024: Malvika Bansod enters Super 1000 quarterfinals for the first time by defeating top seed Kirsty Gilmour

The 23-year-old badminton player achieved this victory a day after defeating the Paris Olympics 2024 bronze medalist Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia. However, Malvika Bansod is the only Indian shuttler left in the competition.

Payal Debnath

Sep 19, 2024, 10:17 AM

China Open 2024: Malvika Bansod enters Super 1000 quarterfinals for the first time by defeating top seed Kirsty Gilmour

Indian badminton player Malvika Bansod continued her brilliant form and entered the Super 1000 quarter-finals for the first time by winning a tough match against her higher ranked opponent Kirsty Gilmour at the China Open 2024 in Changzhou on Thursday.

Also Read: India at Paralympics: Medals by every edition

Malvika Bansod, BWF ranking 43rd, toiled hard for one hour and five minutes before defeating two-time Commonwealth Games medalist and world number 25 Gilmour of Scotland 21-17 19-21 21-16 in the women's singles round-of-16 match.

Earlier defeated Paris Olympics bronze medalist

The 23-year-old player achieved this victory a day after defeating the Paris Olympics 2024 bronze medalist Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia. 

However, Malvika Bansod, the only Indian shuttler left in the competition, faces a tough challenge as she will face fourth seed and two-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the last eight stage.

Although the Japanese shuttler has won both the matches against Malvika, the Indian shuttler came close to defeating  Yamaguchi and she is hopeful that she will be able to register victory this time.

Malvika's sensational performance in pre-quarterfinals

In the opening game against Gilmour, Malvika was down 11-5 at the break. The Indian shuttler brought down the deficit to two points at 16-14 and then won seven of the next eight points to go one game up in the contest. Gilmour, drew on her experience to mount a comeback and close a tight second game.

Malvika surged to an eight-point lead at 10-2 in the decider. She later extended her advantage to 20-11. Gilmour fought back with five consecutive points to make it 20-16 but the late fightback proved too little for Malvika, who comfortably sealed her spot in the quarter-finals.

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