15-year-old Tanvi Patri is one win away from a historic Youth Olympics medal in badminton

India’s Tanvi Patri moved one win away from a historic Youth Olympic badminton medal after reaching the girls’ singles semi-finals with a straight-sets win over Thailand’s Kungkaew Kakanik in Dakar on Wednesday, November 4.

The third-seeded Indian overcame the challenge of seventh-ranked Kakaniko to win 21-17, 21-13 in 39 minutes. Tanvi has been in impressive form at the Dakar, reaching the last four without losing a competition.

She will face second seed Yuzuno Watanabe of Japan in the semifinals on Wednesday. The two have met once before, at the 2024 Pathum Thani Junior International Series in Thailand, where Tanvi lost 14-21, 10-21.

A win over Watanabe would secure Tanvi at least a silver medal and make her the first Indian girl to win a badminton medal at the Youth Olympics.

Only three Indians had previously reached the semifinals of badminton at the Youth Olympics. HS Prannoy won silver at the inaugural edition in Singapore in 2010, while Lakshya Sen finished second in Buenos Aires in 2018. Aditya Joshi reached the boys’ singles semi-finals in 2014 but returned without a medal.

Tanvi’s Dakar run continues an encouraging season for the youngster. She reached the pre-quarterfinals of the World Junior Championships in Cairo last month and won the Pontianak International Challenge in Indonesia in August, days after finishing second at the Singapore International Challenge.

However, the short turnaround between her quarterfinals and semifinals could pose a problem. With both matches scheduled for Wednesday, Tanvi has limited time to recover before taking on the Japanese second seed.

Badminton scheduling at major multi-sport events has recently come under scrutiny. At the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya in September, singles players had to play two matches on the same day, with several matches stretching past midnight.

PV Sindhu was among those affected, she would play three matches in less than 24 hours before losing in the quarterfinals to China’s Chen Yufei. The two-time Olympic medalist criticized the scheduling and lack of adequate recovery time, while several other players also expressed concerns.

WHO IS TANVI PATRI

Born in Balasore, Odisha, Tanvi, 15, started playing badminton when her family lived in China, where her father Rabinarayan worked as a software professional. She trained under Chinese coaches before the family returned to India during the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2022, she joined the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in Bengaluru where she continues to train. Tanvi first made her mark on the international circuit by winning the Asian Under-15 title in Chengdu in 2024. This September, she added the Asian Under-17 crown at the same venue, becoming the first Indian to win both continental junior titles.

Meanwhile, India’s challenge in the boys’ singles ended after second seed Dev Ruparelia lost to China’s Hong Tian Yue 22-24, 10-21 in 37 minutes in the quarter-finals.

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