Indian shuttlers win 19 medals at Fazza Para Badminton International

Indian shuttlers finished with a haul of 19 medals, including a gold, four silver and 14 bronze, at the 6th Fazza Para Badminton International tournament in Dubai.

Sivarajan Solaimalai and Sudarsan Saravanakumar Muthusamy claimed the only gold medal at the championships, as the pair got a walkover from their top seed opponents Hong Kong’s Chu Man Kai and Wong Chun Yim in the men’s doubles SH6 finals on Sunday.

Experienced shuttler Umesh Vikram Kumar settled for silver in two of his Standing Lower SL3 singles and men’s doubles finals, while the pair of Hardik Makkar and Ruthick Ragupathi went down fighting to the top seeded Malaysian Cheah Like Hou and Muhammad Fareez Anuar in men’s double Standing Upper SU5 finals.

Tokyo Paralympic champion Krishna Nagar signed off with a bronze after losing to Brazil’s Vitor Tavares in the semifinal. He dedicated his medal to the defence forces of India, acknowledging their relentless efforts in safeguarding the nation.

“This medal is for the brave men and women in uniform who are working hard, day and night, to protect our country. Their courage motivates me to keep fighting on court,” he said.