Gold for Mandeep, Nithya; Team India bags 11 medals in Ireland Para-Badminton Int'l

Dublin, July 17 (IANS) Mandeep Kaur and Nithya Sre clinched gold medals as the Indian para-badminton contingent signed off its campaign at the 4 Nations Para-Badminton International 2022 with 11 medals here on Sunday.

Overall, the Indian team will return home with two gold, four silver and five bronze medals.

Kaur, who has had a great season with gold and three silver before the Ireland event, defeated a fighting Oksana Kozyna from Ukraine in her final women's singles SL3 game with a scoreline of 21-18, 21-18 to take the gold.

Kaur also claimed a silver in the mixed doubles SL3-SU5 event along with Chirag Baretha, after losing to French top seed Lucas Mazur and Faustine Noel 14-21, 18-21 in the final.

Meanwhile, Sre overcame a second-game scare from'England's Rachel Choong to win 21-14, 18-21, 21-7 in 32 minutes, for the women's singles SH6 gold medal.

However, Tokyo 2020 Paralympic champion Pramod Bhagat had to settle for the silver going down to his arch-rival Daniel Bethell of England 17-9, 9-21 in the men's singles SL3 final.

Among other medallists were: Abu Hubaida (mixed doubles WH1-WH2) and Baretha & Hardik Makkar (men's doubles SU5) claimed the silver medals, while Nilesh Balu Gaikwad (MS SL4), Deep Ranjan Bisoyee (2. MS SL4), Nitesh Kumar (MS SL3), Charanjeet Kaur (WS SL3) and Nilesh Gaikwad & Manoj Sarkar (MD SL3-SL4) took bronze.

The Indian Para-badminton team will next be seen in action in the Thailand para-Badminton International 2022 next month.