Want To Take Positives From Dubai Into New Season, Says Para Shuttler Manasi Joshi

Hangzhou Asian Para Games: As the year draws to an end, India's top para shuttler Manasi Joshi wants to take the positives from the season-ending 5th Fazza Dubai Para-Badminton International 2023 to the new season, which has the all-important World Championships in February 2024.

Joshi and her partner Thulasi Murugesan clinched the only gold medal for Team India at the Dubai Para-Badminton International, avenging the pair’s Hangzhou 2022 Asian Para Games final loss against Indonesian top-ranked Leani Ratri Oktila and Khalimatus Sadiyah in the women’s doubles SL3-SU5. Joshi-Murugesan rallied from a game down to win 15-21, 21-14, 21-6.

Overall, Team India clinched 14 medals, including five silver medals and eight bronze.

“Happy to finish the year with a gold medal. This was an important win as Dubai 2023 was the last championship before the World Championships. So, whatever positives we take from this event will be reflected in the Worlds. We are hoping to do better in the World Championships,” Joshi was quoted as saying by the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) in a release on Friday.

“For me, I have worked on all aspects of a SL3 game. Now all I must do is sit through and analyse what tactic I must play against which player - use my movement against one and strength against the other,” added Joshi, whose women’s singles SL3 and mixed doubles SL3-SU5 campaign ended in quarterfinals in Dubai.

Joshi and Murugesan, both of whom train at the Pullela Gopichand Academy, have started playing together only this year and have won six titles from nine tournaments in 2023.

The women’s doubles SL3-SU5 though will not be part of the Paris 2024 Paralympics but will be played in the upcoming World Championships in Pattaya.

Murugesan had to settle for gold (WD SL3-SU5), silver (WS SU5), and bronze (XD SL3-SU5 with Nitesh Kumar) in Dubai much like her campaign in the Hangzhou Asian Para Games.

“I wanted to win at least two gold medals here. But the competition is very tough now as everyone wants to win the Paris 2024 qualification points," she said.

Bhagat to focus on fitness, strength:

In men’s standing events, Paralympic champion Pramod Bhagat finished second to his English arch-rival Daniel Bethell going down in straight games 17-21, 8-21 in men’s singles SL3 final.

Bhagat, the Asian Para Games champion, later admitted he ran out of stamina and power in the game.

“He was a better player today. Post the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, Bethell has worked a lot on his game, and I can see his progress. I must get back on track now, work hard on my fitness and strength,” said Bhagat who also lost his SL3-SU5 mixed doubles final to Indonesia’s Leani Ratri Oktila and Hikmat Ramdani.

Meanwhile, India's Suhas Yathiraj fell to Malaysia’s Mohd Amin Burhanuddin 21-13, 21-16 in the men's singles SL4 final but was content with the way he played this year.

Having started the year ranked 39th after missing out on several Level 1 tournaments, Yathiraj slowly climbed the ladder making the most in the Level 2 events.

“The only way to be a Paralympic contender is to play exceedingly well in the Level 2 tournaments and I managed to do that. So far, it’s been a great season. You cannot afford to be complacent at any point as from India itself, it’s a tough competition to qualify for the Paralympics,” said the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic silver medallist.