Tanvi Patri takes silver in Dakar to become India’s first female Youth Olympic badminton medallist

Fifteen-year-old Tanvi Patri became the first Indian woman to win a badminton medal at the Youth Olympic Games after she lost to reigning world junior champion Zhang Yi Xin in the final in Dakar, Senegal, on Thursday. She went down 21-15, 13-21, 24-26 in a match that lasted an hour and 22 minutes and in which she saved six match points and missed three of her own.

Patri’s silver is the first Youth Olympic women’s singles medal for India and makes her the country’s fourth medallist in badminton at the Games. HS Prannoy (2010) and Lakshya Sen (2018) previously won individual silver medals at the Youth Olympic Games, and Sen also won mixed team gold with Team Alpha, which included shuttlers from eight different countries.

Tanvi took time to settle in the first game before producing a run of seven straight points to move from 3-5 to 10-5. She used punch tosses and net control to manufacture openings and closed out the opening game in 25 minutes.

In the second game Tanvi opened 4-0 but, according to the report, drift from behind her affected her control on the clears and Zhang seized the initiative after the mid-game interval to force a decider.

Zhang dominated the early stages of the decider with cross-court drops to open a 19-10 lead, and Tanvi responded to cut the deficit to 19-15. An error on a cross-court smash by the Indian handed Zhang five match points; Tanvi saved those five match points and subsequently had three chances to clinch the gold, but Zhang prevailed.

Applauding Tanvi’s dream run in the Dakar Youth Olympics, Badminton Association of India General Secretary said, “Tanvi Patri has made the entire nation proud with a historic achievement at the Youth Olympic Games. Winning a silver medal at just 15 is an extraordinary accomplishment and a moment of immense pride for India. “Her fighting spirit, composure and performances throughout the competition reflect the immense potential of our young sporting generation. This achievement is a significant milestone for Indian sport and a testament to the growing presence of our athletes on the global stage. “On behalf of the Badminton Association of India and its member colleagues, I congratulate Tanvi and everyone who has supported her journey,” he added.

Tanvi Patri finished the women’s singles tournament at the Dakar Youth Olympic Games with the silver medal after losing to Zhang Yi Xin 21-15, 13-21, 24-26 in an hour and 22 minutes.