Odisha prodigy Tanvi Patri justified her reputation as the future Olympic hope of India as she clinched a glorious double by winning both the U-15 and U-17 girls singles titles at the 36th Sub-Junior National Badminton Championship, which concluded at Tamil Nadu Physical Education & Sports University in Chennai today.

Reigning Asian U-15 girls singles champion Tanvi claimed her maiden National U-15 and U-17 singles crowns, defeating Aikya Shetty (Karnataka) 20-22, 21-9, 21-13 and Naishaa Kaur Bhatoye (Maharashtra) 21-7, 21-7 respectively in the two finals. Displaying almost complete dominance in both the events, 13-year-old Tanvi, the top seed in both the events, dropped only one game in the 12 matches she played to capture the double crown.

With the addition of the U-15 and U-17 titles today, the total number of National gold medals for Tanvi became four. She earlier won the National U-13 singles crown twice in 2022 and 2023. A cadet of Bangalore-based Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, Tanvi credited her National double crown to the coaches and support staff of her academy, Odisha State and to her parents, Ravi Patri and Sailabala Panda.

Speaking on her future goals, Tanvi said: “Winning U-17 and U-19 National as well as Asian titles are my next targets. Bagging a medal for India at the Olympic Games is my ultimate goal.”

With India struggling to find successors of legendary women shuttlers Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu, the phenomenal achievement of Odisha prodigy Tanvi has made her a strong contender for the 2028 and 2032 Olympic Games.

SUB-JUNIOR NATIONAL PERFORMANCES OF TANVI PATRI (*1):

U-15 GIRLS SINGLES: Round-1: Bye. Round-2: Beat Devanshi Dalal (Haryana) 21-13, 21-17. Round-3: Beat Dhriti Joshi (Maharashtra) 21-5, 21-12. Round-4: Beat Vijaya Lakshmi Boddu (AP) 21-13, 21-12. Quarterfinal: Beat Aksa Mary CA Chadayangad (Kerala) 21-13, 21-10. Semifinal: Beat Shania Manimuthu (*3, Karnataka) 21-15, 21-11. Final: Beat Aikya Shetty (*5, Karnataka) 20-22, 21-9, 21-13.

U-17 GIRLS SINGLES: Round-1: Bye. Round-2: Beat Akshaya Chowdary Aluru (Telangana) 21-11, 21-11. Round-3: Beat Lavanya Karki (Uttarakhand) 21-10, 21-8. Round-4: Beat Nakshatraa Jairaj (Tamil Nadu) 21-13, 21-10. Quarterfinal: Beat Diya Bheemaiah B (Karnataka) 21-14, 21-13. Semifinal: Beat Adarshini Shri NB (*3, Tamil Nadu). Final: Beat Naishaa Kaur Bhatoye (*10, Maharashtra) 21-7, 21-7.
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PHOTO: Tanvi Patri poses with her Sub-Junior National U-15 and U-17 girls singles champion trophies in Chennai on 25 October 2024.