Thulasimathi Murugesan: India's First Woman Para Shuttler To Reach Paralympic Final
Thulasimathi Murugesan stormed into the Paralympic gold medal match as she defeated fellow-Indian Manisha Ramadass in a breathtaking semi-final showdown.
Indian para-badminton athlete Thulasimathi Murugesan stormed into the Paris Paralympics gold medal match as she defeated compatriot Manisha Ramadass in a breathtaking women's SU5 semi-final showdown on September 2. She is the first woman from the country to qualify for the Paralympic finals, marking a historic moment in sports. She will now face Yang Qiuxia of China, who won the gold medal at the Tokyo Paralympics 2020. Meanwhile, Manisha Ramadass will compete against Denmark's Cathrine Rosengren for the bronze medal.
Thulasimathi Vs Manisha In Semis
Top-seeded Thulasimathi Murugesan won the semi-final against Manisha Ramadass after winning 23-21, 21-17 in just under 40 minutes. Both para-shuttlers delivered a hard-fought match, showcasing a palpable hunger for victory and passion to bring glory to India.
Manisha Ramadass managed to take the lead in the first game as she scored 11-10. However, she faced an unfortunate series of errors like service misses and net faults, putting her opponent at an advantage. Murugesan then delivered a strategic game to make it to the final.
"It is like a dream come true. There is happiness but I need to prepare for the final. We (Murugesan, Ramadass) have a healthy competition every time. Strategy for the final-- we are playing after a long time, we will see. It has been a very hard journey for me," Murugesan told Jio Cinema.
Who Is Thulasimathi Murugesan?
Assured of at least a silver medal, Thulasimathi Murugesan has made history as the first woman from India to qualify for the Paralympics finals. The Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu, native has represented India on numerous international courts in the SL3-SU5 and SU5 categories.
Murugesan was born with a congenital deformity in her left hand resulting in the loss of her thumb finger. She then met with a life-threatening accident which further affected her left hand, limiting mobility. Murugesan got into badminton at age seven and has never looked back since.
Murugesan has won many accolades including a gold medal in the women's doubles at the 5th Fazza Dubai Para-Badminton International 2023 with Manasi Joshi. She also won bronze at the event in the mixed doubles SL3 and SU5, along with Nitesh Kumar.
She won three medals at the Asian Para Games in China, clinching gold in the women's singles event, a silver in the women's doubles, and a bronze in the mixed doubles. She and Joshi also paired up to win a silver at the 2024 World Para-Badminton Championships in Thailand.