Manasi Joshi Exits Paralympics After Tough Matches Against Oksana Kozyna and Qontiah Ikhitar Syakuroh
Paris [France], August 30: Indian para badminton player Manasi Joshi faced a challenging time at the Paralympics held at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena. In her women’s singles SL3 Group A match, Manasi initially took the lead but was eventually defeated by Ukraine’s Oksana Kozyna.
Manasi started strong, winning the first set 21-10. However, Oksana made a strong comeback, winning the second set 15-21. In the final set, despite Manasi’s efforts, Oksana clinched the match with a 21-23 win, leading to Manasi’s exit from the event.
Earlier, Manasi played against Indonesia’s Qontiah Ikhitar Syakuroh. Although she won the first game, Syakuroh won the next two sets (21-16, 13-21, 18-21), resulting in another defeat for Manasi.
In another match, Mandeep Kaur faced Nigeria’s Mariam Eniola Bolaji in Group B. Mandeep lost in two successive games (8-21, 14-21).
This year, India has sent its largest contingent ever to the Paralympics, with 84 athletes competing in 12 sports. This marks a significant increase in participation and medal hopes for India, aiming to surpass its previous achievements in Tokyo 2020, where the Indian badminton team won four medals, contributing to a total of 19 medals for the country.
Doubts Revealed
Manasi Joshi -: Manasi Joshi is an Indian para badminton player. ‘Para’ means she plays badminton even though she has a physical disability.
Paralympics -: The Paralympics is a big sports event like the Olympics, but it is for athletes with physical disabilities.
Oksana Kozyna -: Oksana Kozyna is a para badminton player from Ukraine. She competed against Manasi Joshi in the Paralympics.
Qontiah Ikhitar Syakuroh -: Qontiah Ikhitar Syakuroh is a para badminton player from Indonesia. She also competed against Manasi Joshi in the Paralympics.
Group A match -: In sports tournaments, players are often divided into groups. Manasi Joshi played against Oksana Kozyna in one of these groups, called Group A.
Mandeep Kaur -: Mandeep Kaur is another Indian para athlete who competed in the Paralympics. She played against Mariam Eniola Bolaji from Nigeria.
Mariam Eniola Bolaji -: Mariam Eniola Bolaji is a para athlete from Nigeria. She competed against Mandeep Kaur in the Paralympics.
Contingent -: A contingent is a group of people representing a country in an event. India sent its largest group of athletes to the Paralympics this time.
Tokyo 2020 -: Tokyo 2020 refers to the Olympic and Paralympic Games that were held in Tokyo, Japan, in the year 2021 due to a delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.