Thulasimathi, Manasi Stun China to Win Para Badminton Gold

Thulasimathi Murugesan and Manasi Joshi delivered one of the standout results for India at the Asian Para Games 2026, winning the women's doubles SL3-SU5 gold medal in Nagoya.

In a one-sided final, the Indian pair beat China's world champions Qiuxia Yang and Zhuxian Xiao 21-16, 21-13 in straight games. It was a result that carried extra meaning, as it avenged their loss in the final of the Asian Championships 2025.

The gold also upgraded the silver the pair had won at the last Asian Para Games, giving them a bigger reward for their consistency.

Thulasimathi's day was busy. Before the doubles final, she had won silver in mixed doubles SL3-SU5 with Nitesh Kumar. The pair went down 21-11, 19-21, 14-21 to Indonesia's Leani Ratri Oktila and Hikmat Ramadani in a tightly contested match.

Later, she also finished with silver in women's singles SU5, losing 21-18, 21-11 to China's Yang in the final.

India's men's singles players delivered gold as well. Naveen Shivakumar won the SL3 title, and Nitesh Kumar topped the SL4 category. Nitesh's final was an all-India contest with Pramod Bhagat, a two-time gold medallist at the 2018 and 2022 editions. Nitesh won 21-18, 21-16.

In women's singles SH6, Nityasri Sumathi Sivan had to settle for silver after losing 12-21, 13-21 to China's Li Fengmei.

Understanding the categories helps explain the competition. SL3 is for athletes with severe lower-limb impairment who play on half court. SL4 is for athletes with lower-limb impairment and better balance while running and moving. SU5 is for athletes with upper-limb impairment. SH6 is for short-statured athletes.

India enters these Games with momentum from Hangzhou 2023, where it recorded 111 medals, including 29 gold, 31 silver and 51 bronze, to finish fifth in the medal tally.