Tanvi Patri is a win away from winning a landmark gold medal after becoming the first Indian badminton player to reach the women’s singles final at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar (Senegal).
The 15-year-old from Odisha secured her place in the title match with a hard-fought 21-14, 11-21, 21-19 victory over Japan’s second seed, Yuzuno Watanabe, in a 54-minute semifinal.
Patri had already made history by becoming the first Indian woman to reach the semifinals of the competition, where she defeated Thailand’s Kungkaew Kakanik. She now has an opportunity to complete an unprecedented campaign by winning gold against China’s Yi Xin Zhang, the reigning World Junior Championships champion.
The final will also offer Patri a chance to avenge her earlier
defeat to Zhang. The two met in the quarterfinals of the Asia Junior Championships earlier this year, where the Indian lost 18-21, 16-21 in a competitive encounter.
Against Watanabe, Patri had to navigate a closely contested semifinal in which momentum shifted repeatedly. She made a strong start, taking the opening game 21-14, before the Japanese player responded with an emphatic 21-11 win in the second to force a decider.
The third game proved a test of composure, with neither player able to establish a decisive advantage. Patri, however, found the crucial points at the finish, holding off Watanabe to claim the game 21-19 and secure her place in the final.
Her run adds another significant result to India’s record at the Youth Olympic Games. HS Prannoy won silver at the inaugural edition in Singapore in 2010, while Lakshya Sen finished runner-up at the 2018 Games in Buenos Aires. Aditya Joshi had reached the men’s singles semifinals in 2014.
Patri now has the opportunity to become the first Indian women’s singles player to win Youth Olympic gold.
