PARIS/CHATEAUROUX, Sep 1: Suhas Yathiraj positioned himself
for unprecedented glory by reaching the summit clash for a second
consecutive time after fellow shuttler Manisha Ramadass also assured
India of a medal but star shooter Avani Lekhara missed out on repeating
her medal-winning feat in her pet event at the Paris Paralympics here Sunday.
Tokyo Games silver medallist Suhas is set to become the first Indian
shuttler to win back-to-back medals at the Paralympics after outplaying
compatriot Sukant Kadam in straight games to reach the men’s singles SL4 final.
The 41-year-old Suhas, a 2007 batch IAS officer, beat Sukant 21-17,
21-12 to make another final at the global showpiece.
Later, Nitesh Kumar also guaranteed a medal for himself in SL3 with
a 21-16 21-12 victory over Japan’s Daisuke Fujihara in the semifinal.
Before Suhas sizzled, it was Manisha who set up an all-Indian women’s
singles SU5 semifinal with compatriot Thulasimathi Murugesan, assuring
the country of at least a silver.
The 19-year-old Manisha, who was born with Erb’s palsy which affected
her right arm, had no trouble in dispatching Japan’s Mamiko Toyoda
21-13 21-16 in the quarterfinals. The second seeded Indian left-hander
needed 30 minutes to down her unseeded rival.
Erb’s palsy is a nerve disorder in the shoulder and arm that results
in weakness or loss of muscle function.
In the last four, Manisha will meet top seed Thulasimathi, who
had defeated Portugal’s Beatriz Monteiro in group A on Saturday.
In SU5 category, the players have impairment of the upper limbs.
The impairment could be on the playing or non-playing hand.
However, Mandeep Kaur and Palak Kohli were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Competing in SL3 category, Mandeep lost to Nigeria’s third seed
Bolaji Mariam Eniola, losing 8-21 9-21.
SL3 category is for players with severe lower-limb disability competing
on a half-width court.
In SL4 category, para world championship bronze medallist Palak
went down fighting 19-21 15-21 to Indonesia’s Khalimatus Sadiyah
in 28 minutes. In this category, athletes compete while standing
with less severe impairment than in SL3.
After the high of four medals in two days, there was disappointment
in store for India in the shooting range with Lekhara failing to
qualify for the final following a 11th-place finish in the mixed
10m air rifle prone (SH1) qualification in which Sidhartha Babu ended 28th.
In the mixed 10m air rifle prone (SH2) qualification, Sriharsha
Devaraddi Ramakrishna ended in 26th place with a total of 630.2.
In the Paralympics mixed event, both men and women compete on the
line against each other.
Coming off her historic gold medal in the 10m air rifle standing
SH1 event, Lekhara ended the competition with a total of 632.8.
Avani’s sequence of scores read 105.7,
106.0, 104.1, 106.0, 104.8, 106.2, while Sidhartha had scores of
104.6, 103.8, 105.7, 104.9, 103.6, 105.7.
In SH1, athletes are able to hold their gun without difficulty
and shoot from a standing or sitting position (in a wheelchair or chair).
Sidhartha aggregated 628.3 across six series.
Athletes classified in SH2 category are unable to hold their rifle
independently, so they use a stand, but can aim by themselves and
control the weapon when they shoot. Certain athletes may have an
assistant to reload their gun.
Only the top eight from qualification progress to the final.
The 44-year-old Devaraddi scored 105.2 in Series 1, improved it
to 105.7 in the next series. He followed that with a sequence of
105.4, a disappointing 104.3, 105.6 and 104.0.
Eleven years ago, an accident left him with limited control over his limbs.
Ravi Rongali finished a creditable fifth in the men’s F40 shot
put final while Rakshita Raju bowed out in the opening round heats
of women’s 1500m T11 race on the third day of athletics competitions.
Rongali, who had won a silver in the Asian Para Games last year
in China, produced a personal best of 10.63m but that was not enough
in a top-class field.
World record holder Miguel Montero of Portugal won the gold with
a throw of 11.21m while Mongolia’s Battulga Tsegmid (11.09m) took the silver.
Reigning Asian Para Games champion Garrah Tnaiash of Iraq took
the bronze with a throw of 11.03m while Russian Tokyo Paralympics
gold medallist and reigning world para athletics champion Denis Gnezdilov,
who was competing as Neutral Paralympic Athlete, was fourth with 10.80m.
F40 class is for para athletes with short stature.
Earlier, Rakshita, 23, finished last in Heat 3 after clocking 5:29.92s.
The two runners from the three heats qualified for the final.
The T11 category is for athletes with visual impairment, which
may be entire loss of vision or he or she may be able to perceive
light, but have no ability to see the shape of a hand at any distance.
(PTI)
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