New Delhi, Nov 9 (IANS) India’s historic Youth Olympics silver medallist Tanvi Patri credited her early training in China and subsequent development at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in Bengaluru for shaping her game, while revealing that illness had restricted her preparations to just two days of practice before her campaign in Dakar.
The 15-year-old became the first Indian women’s singles player to win a silver medal at the Youth Olympic Games after going down to reigning world junior champion Zhang Yi Xin in a thrilling final in Dakar, Senegal, on November 5.
Patri saved six match points and had three opportunities to seal the gold medal herself before eventually losing 15-21, 21-13, 26-24 in an hour and 22 minutes. Her achievement followed individual silver medals by HS Prannoy in 2010 and Lakshya Sen in 2018.
Speaking to IANS, Patri recalled how her badminton journey began in China, where her father worked with Nike China, and she accompanied him to a club where he played. She said the training environment and emphasis on technique helped her develop the foundations of her game.
“Preparation in China because I went to China. Like my dad used to work there for Nike China. So then my mom and I also went to China with him. And then the training and all was really good. Like the coaches and all really focused on the technique and yeah, they’ve also helped me a lot in the game and all,” she said.
Patri moved back to India around 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and initially trained in Odisha for around one-and-a-half years before joining the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in Bengaluru. She said the coaches at the academy helped her improve her speed and also supported her through a series of injuries.
“And then I think I moved to India in 2020 or something. I don’t remember the year for COVID. And then I was training in Odisha for like one and a half years. And then I moved to the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy. So here also, the coaches have really helped me a lot in improving my speed and all. And then I got injured. I had a knee injury first and then hamstring and then back injury this year in like February something. So yeah, they have taken care of me when I was injured also,” she said.
Her preparations for the Youth Olympics were further disrupted by illness following the World Junior Championships in Egypt. Patri said she was still recovering from fever after returning to India and had to take a complete week’s rest before getting only two days of training ahead of the competition in Dakar.
“Because before going for the World Junior Championships, I was sick. Like when I reached Egypt for the World Junior Championship, I was sick. And then I couldn’t perform well in that tournament. So, when I came back to India also still that fever impact and all was there. So, for like one week, I took complete rest. And then I just practised for like two days. And then I went to Dhaka for the Youth Olympic Games. So, yeah, I am happy with my performance there. And I hope I play well in the future tournaments also,” she said.
Patri also spoke about the difference in conditions between India and Dakar, saying the heat, humidity, and absence of air-conditioning made the stay challenging, although she did not face any major difficulty adjusting to a different country.
“Conditions like from India to Dakar, yeah, it was a bit tough. Because there was no AC, it was hot and humid there. And then yeah, like there were no challenges in moving from one country to another. Just like once you come back from one country, there is jet lag, which goes away in two to three days. But yeah, there are no such conditions I faced in moving from one country to another,” she said.
In the final, Patri took time to settle before producing a strong recovery in the opening game. After trailing 3-5, she won seven consecutive points to move ahead 10-5, using her punch tosses effectively and controlling the net to take the first game 21-15.
She began the second game with a 4-0 lead, but the drift from the far end affected her control on the clears. Zhang capitalised after the mid-game interval to win 21-13 and force a decider.
The Chinese shuttler then built a commanding 19-10 lead in the third game with her cross-court drops. Patri fought back to reduce the deficit to 15-19, but an error on a cross-court smash gave Zhang five match points.
The Indian saved all five and subsequently had three opportunities to close out the match, but Zhang’s experience proved decisive as she eventually converted her sixth match point to claim the gold.
–IANS
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