Paris Paralympics 2024 Para-Badminton: Sukant Kadam loses in bronze medal match in men’s singles SL4 event

India’s Paris Paralympics 2024 para-badminton campaign suffered a setback as Sukant Kadam lost in the bronze medal match against Indonesia’s Fredy Setiawan in the men’s singles SL4 event on Monday. Setiawan won the game at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena in Paris by 21-17, 21-18.

Setiawan, a bronze medalist in the Tokyo Paralympics 2020, was always going to be a tough competitor for 31-year-old Kadam.

The Indonesian para-shuttler took an early lead in the first game, never slipping up despite some strong performances from Kadam. The first game eventually went to Setiawan, who won 21-17.

However, Kadam started the next game strongly, taking a sizeable lead at the start of the round. However, Setiawan did not settle on his laurels and fought back admirably to close the gap eventually and then take the lead at 8-9.

From that point onwards, it was a different game altogether, with Setiawan not giving up his slender lead till the end, despite Kadam threatening to catch up every now and then. Setiawan held on to his lead, eventually winning the game 21-18.

After failing to qualify for the Tokyo Paralympics 2020, Monday’s result was added heartbreak for Sukant Kadam, who was otherwise a surprise package in this year’s Paralympic Games.

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How was Sukant Kadam’s Paris Paralympics 2024 Para-Badminton journey?

Sukant Kadam, a four-time World Championships bronze medalist, was a dark horse in India’s Paris Paralympics 2024 para-badminton contingent.

Competing in the men’s singles SL4 event, Sukant had a perfect start in the quadrennial tournament, defeating the 2022 Asian Para Games silver medalist Mohd Amin Burhanuddin in the Group B game by a scoreline of 17-21, 21-15, 22-20.

Kadam then made it two wins out of two in the group stage, defeating Thailand’s Siripong Teamarrom by 21-12, 21-12.

Despite a near-perfect showing in the Paris Paralympics 2024 para-badminton group stages, Kadam faltered in the all-Indian semi-final match. He lost against fellow countryman Suhas Yathiraj by a scoreline of 17-21, 12-21.

Sukant had the chance to salvage his Paris Paralympics 2024 campaign in the bronze medal match on Monday. However, he was unable to beat his opponent in the crucial match and, as a result, will return empty-handed from his debut Paralympics Games.