Renowned Odisha sisters, Rutaparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda, bagged the womens doubles bronze medal in the Nepal International Challenge Badminton Tournament, which was held at Dashrath Rangashala in Kathmandu, Nepal from 23 to 26 December 2024.

The top-seeded Odisha duo settled for the bronze after losing to Thailand pair of Kodchaporn Chaichana and Pannawee Polyiam in the semifinals 18-21, 21-19, 15-21. Cuttack siblings Ruraparna and Swetaparna reached the last-four round, winning two matches in a row.

They defeated Sri Lankan combination of Isuri Attanayake and Sithumi De Silva 21-3, 21-7 in the first round and Thailand duo Pranpriya Pannarai and Sirapat Tepnarong 21-18, 21-13 in the quarterfinals. The tournament was organised by Nepal Badminton Association, under the aegis of Badminton World Federation.
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PHOTO: Rutaparna (Right) and her younger sister Swetaparna celebrate with their bronze medal at the Nepal International Challenge in Kathmandu on 26 December 2024.