Tanvi Patri reaches Youth Olympic badminton semifinals in Dakar
Tanvi Patri scripted history at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar on Wednesday by defeating Thailand’s seventh seed Kakanik Kungkaew to become the first Indian woman to reach the badminton semifinals, The Times of India reported. The 15-year-old from Odisha secured the milestone win in the women’s singles quarterfinals with a straight-game score of 21-17, 21-13 in 39 minutes.
Path to the medal rounds in Dakar
The victory places the Bengaluru Centre for Excellence trainee into an exclusive club of Indian singles players who have reached the final four at the Youth Olympics. Tanvi topped Women’s Singles Group F with three successive victories, concluding the group stage by defeating Australia’s Smrithi Adepu 21-4, 21-12. A semifinal win guarantees her at least a silver medal, while a defeat leaves a path to the bronze-medal playoff.
Historical context of Indian players at the Youth Olympics
Before Tanvi’s breakthrough, only three Indian male shuttlers had reached this stage of the tournament. HS Prannoy won silver at the inaugural Youth Olympics in Singapore in 2010, Lakshya Sen finished runner-up at the 2018 edition in Buenos Aires, and Aditya Joshi reached the boys’ singles semifinals in 2014 without securing a medal, according to Sportstar.
TANVI PATRI CREATES HISTORY Tanvi Patri becomes the 1st Indian GS to reach the SFs at the Youth Olympics as she wins against Kungkaew Kakanik in straight games 21-17,21-13 Exciting SF against Yuzuno Watanabe at 11.15 PM pic.twitter.com/J3YLjcVF7B
Tanvi faces Yuzuno Watanabe in Dakar semifinals
The Dakar breakthrough builds on Tanvi’s prior victory at the Badminton Asia U-17 and U-15 Championships in Chengdu, China, where she won the girls’ singles U-17 title in an all-Indian final to capture both continental age-group crowns. Next, she faces Japan’s Yuzuno Watanabe in the Dakar semifinals. Watanabe won their only previous meeting 21-14, 21-10 at the 2024 Pathum Thani Junior International Series in Thailand.
Worth a look