New Delhi: India’s Tarun Dhillon won his 1st match against Thailand’s Siripong Teamarrom in SL4 Men’s Singles Group B Badminton event during the ongoing Tokyo Paralympics 2020 on Thursday.
Dhillon began the match on a strong note, winning the first set by 21-7 in just 10 minutes, which left the Thai player baffled. The World No. 2 player was leading with aggressive serves and perfect drop shots.
The second set witnessed Teamarrom’s comeback as he tried to force the match into a decider. But Dhillon snatched the lead to win the game 21-13 in just 23 minutes. He will play his next on Friday.
Also, India’s Krishna Nagar beat Malaysian player Didin Taresoh 22-20, 21-10 in SH6 Men’s Singles Group B event on Thursday.
The International Paralympic Committee had introduced 14 badminton events– 7 Men’s, 6 Women’s, and 1 Mixed– in September 2017, and divided the athletes into 6 classes.
The SL4 requires players to participate in a standing position. The class involves players with impairment in one or both lower limbs and minimal balance impairment when walking/running.
Other Indian Badminton players belong to classes SL3, SU5, and SH6. The net’s height is the same for all classes and stands at 1.55m, the same as in Olympic badminton.
(Avya Mathur)