Bahrain para

The Punit Balan Group: Para-badminton player Aarti Patil made a bronze medal-winning return to the international circuit after a leg injury that had kept her out of action for months and she is now aiming for a top-10 ranking by August to be eligible to play Level 1 tournaments on the BWF circuit.

Patil, who had not played any international event since the BWF World Championship in Thailand in February, went down to compatriot Manisha Ramadass in the semifinals in the women’s SU5 category at the Bahrain Para-Badminton tournament on Saturday.

The runup to the semifinals helped Patil jump six spots to reach 14th rank in the world ranking but knows that she needs to climb even further.