New Delhi, December 10 Haryana’s veteran star Latika Thakur turned heads on the first day of badminton action at the Khelo India Para Games on Sunday, as she reached the semi-finals in the SU 5 women’s singles category at the gymnastics hall of the Indira Gandhi Stadium here.
Latika, who has won several medals in the international arena, defeated Gujarat’s Ridhi Thakur 21-11, 21-8 in the women’s singles quarter-finals (SU 5 category).
In a match in which both players showed a lot of enthusiasm, Latika made use of her experience to win the 16-minute match in the gymnastics hall of the Indira Gandhi Stadium here.
Neeraj, from Haryana, was also in good form in the women’s singles (SL3) category, defeating Jharkhand’s Sanjana Kumari in three long matches. Neeraj’s score was 17-21, 21-10, 21-13. 21-10, 21-13.
In the same category, Amuddha Saravanan from Tamil Nadu showed a lot of courage to enter the semi-finals. She defeated Sangeeta Yadav of Uttar Pradesh 21-5, 21-5.
Conditions in the capital are cold but the enthusiasm of participating athletes from several states is high as the Indian Para Kilo Games are being held for the first time.
Maharashtra’s Tulika Jadhao was also in fine form, clinching a place in the semi-finals by defeating Uttar Pradesh’s Purnima Pandey in straight games as the opening day saw a total of 66 matches played at the IG Stadium.
Monday sees the start of Para Athletics at the JLN Stadium with a host of medal ceremonies taking place. Boxing legend Mary Kom will be present to hand out Paralympic athletics medals on Monday. The opening ceremony of the games and the knockout rounds of the Para-Badminton competitions are also scheduled to be held on Monday at IG Stadium.
More than 1,400 participants from 32 states and union territories will participate in this prestigious event which will be held at three venues in New Delhi from December 10 to 17.
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