Asian Para Games 2026: Thulasimathi-Nitesh pair enters the mixed doubles SL3-SU5 final; Two bronze medals secured

File photo: India’s Thulasimathi Murugesan (in picture) and Nitesh Kumar outwitted Chinese pair Li Mingpan and Xiao Zuxian in a thrilling semifinal that lasted 42 minutes. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Thulasimathi Murugesan and Nitesh Kumar defeated China’s Li Mingpan and Xiao Zuxian in three games to enter the mixed doubles SL3-SU5 final, while two Indian pairs signed off with bronze medals in the badminton competition at the Asian Para Games in Nagoya on Thursday.

Thulasimathi and Nitesh combined to outwit the Chinese pair 21-19, 14-21, 21-17 in a thrilling semifinal that lasted 42 minutes at Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium.

“We are very happy. It’s just that we have to focus on our next game,” Thulasimathi said after the match.

Nitesh said, “We have played most of the players a lot of times, so we knew what our strengths were and how we had to play against each opponent. We got a little distracted in between and started making a few errors, but it was good that we got our rhythm back at the start of the third set. So, when we shifted sides, we had a good lead. That gave us a little extra confidence going into the crucial phase of the match.”

It could have been an all-Indian summit clash, but Manisha Ramdass and Pramod Bhagat went down 21-16, 13-21, 17-21 to Indonesia’s Leani Ratri Oktila and Hikmat Ramdani to sign off with a bronze.

Thulasimathi and Nitesh will thus face Leani and Hikmat in the gold-medal match.

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India’s Krishna Nagar and Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan also signed off with a bronze after losing to Indonesia’s Rina Marlina and Subhan 14-21, 18-21 in the mixed doubles SH6 semifinal.

Krishna won a silver medal in the men’s doubles event as well.

Thulasimathi is also in contention for gold in the women’s doubles SL3-SU5 event. She and Manasi Joshi will face China’s Yang Qiuxia and Xiao Zuxian in the gold-medal match on Friday.

Nitesh will face Indonesia’s Muh Al Imran in the men’s singles SL3 semifinal.

In para badminton, SL3 is for players with significant lower-limb impairments who compete on a half court, while SU5 is for players with upper-limb impairments.

The SL3-SU5 event pairs athletes from the two classifications.