"Bharat's Daughter Scripts History": Sports Minister Congratulates Tanvi Patri on Youth Olympics Silver

Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday congratulated young Indian badminton player Tanvi Patri on winning a silver medal at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games, making her the first Indian woman shuttler to secure a badminton medal at the competition.

Taking to X, Mandaviya described the 15-year-old's achievement as a historic moment for Indian sport and congratulated her on bringing pride to the country.

"Bharat's daughter Patri scripts history with a Silver at the Youth Olympic Games 2026, becoming the first Indian woman shuttler to win a badminton medal at the Games!" Mandaviya wrote.

TANVI GOES DOWN FIGHTING IN THRILLING FINAL

Tanvi claimed silver in the women's singles event after losing to reigning world junior champion Zhang Yi Xin of China in a gripping final in Dakar, Senegal, on Thursday.

The Indian teenager went down 15-21, 21-13, 26-24 in a contest lasting one hour and 22 minutes. Despite facing six match points, Tanvi mounted an impressive fightback and also created three opportunities to win the gold medal before Zhang eventually prevailed.

Tanvi began cautiously but produced a strong comeback in the opening game, winning seven consecutive points to overturn a 3-5 deficit and take a 10-5 lead.

Her effective punch tosses and control at the net helped her maintain the advantage and close out the first game 21-15.

The Indian carried her momentum into the second game, opening up a 4-0 lead. However, Zhang gradually found her rhythm and exploited the drift affecting Tanvi's control of her clears to take the game 21-13 and level the contest.

SIX MATCH POINTS SAVED IN DECIDING GAME

The decider produced the most dramatic phase of the final. Zhang initially established a commanding 19-10 lead through her cross-court drops, but Tanvi refused to surrender and fought her way back to 19-15.

Zhang subsequently earned five match points, all of which the Indian teenager managed to save. Tanvi then created three opportunities of her own to seal the contest and move within touching distance of the gold medal.

However, the Chinese shuttler held her nerve in the closing exchanges, eventually winning the deciding game 26-24 to claim the title.

TANVI JOINS INDIAN BADMINTON MEDALLISTS

With her silver medal, Tanvi becomes the first Indian woman to win an individual badminton medal at the Youth Olympic Games.

Before her achievement, HS Prannoy had won an individual silver medal in 2010, while Lakshya Sen secured silver in 2018.

Sen had also won a mixed team gold medal with Team Alpha, which comprised badminton players from eight different countries.

Tanvi's achievement adds another milestone to India's badminton record at the Youth Olympic Games and marks a significant breakthrough for the country's women's singles contingent.

With inputs from ANI