Tanvi Patri Reaches Youth Olympics Semifinal, Secures Medal

Tanvi Patri defeated Thailand’s Kungkaew Kakanik 21-17, 21-13 in the quarterfinals of the Youth Olympic Games on November 4, reaching the badminton semifinals and securing at least a bronze medal. The result made Patri the first Indian woman to reach the Games’ badminton semifinals and guaranteed India’s first women’s badminton medal at the event. The 15-year-old will face Japan’s Yuzuno Watanabe in the semifinal, scheduled for November 5. A win would send Patri to the gold-medal match; if she loses, she will have another opportunity to compete for bronze. The semifinal outcome had not been reported as of November 5. Patri and Watanabe have met once before, at the 2024 Pathum Thani Junior International Series in Thailand. Watanabe won that match 21-14, 21-10, according to reports of their previous meeting. Before the quarterfinal, Patri topped Group F by defeating Australia’s Smrithi Adepu in her final group match. She won 21-4, 21-12, completing a third successive victory in the preliminary stage and advancing to the knockouts. The quarterfinal win over Kakanik then took her into the last four. Three Indian shuttlers had reached the Youth Olympics badminton semifinals before...