Odisha phenomenon Tanvi Patri scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman badminton player to win a medal at the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Dakar, Senegal today. Third seed Tanvi bagged the womens singles silver medal at the fourth edition of the quadrennial Games  after losing to World junior champion Yi Xin Zhang (China) by 1-2 games in the marathon final that lasted for 82 minutes.

The 15-year-old Tanvi won the first game 21-15 in 25 minutes, while sixth seed Zhang restored parity by taking the second game 21-13 in 24 minutes. Tanvi displayed tremendous fighting spirit in the decisive third game as she rallied from 10-19 down to level the score 20-20. But Zhang showed stronger nerves at the finishing line to win the thrilling game 26-24 in 33 minutes.

Earlier in the semifinals, Tanvi beat second seed Yuzuno Watanabe (Japan) 21-14, 11-21, 21-19 in 54 minutes, ensuring India its first-ever womens singles medal at the YOG. The Odisha shuttler won all three of her league matches in Group-F to enter quarterfinals, where she defeated seventh seed Kungkaew Kakanik (Thailand) 21-17, 21-13. 

At the group stage, Tanvi, who trains at Centre for Badminton Excellence (formerly Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy) in Bangalore, beat Yu Jeong Jang (South Korea) 21-8, 21-11, Sara Patricia Delgado-Gonzalez (Mexico) 21-8, 21-12 and Smrithi Adepu (Australia) 21-4, 21-12.

But in the final, Tanvi failed to convert a match point 24-23 and suffered the heart-breaking defeat. This was the second loss of the year for Tanvi against Zhang, who won their earlier match 21-18, 21-16 at the Asia Junior Championships.

However, Tanvi made India and Odisha proud as she became the third shuttler of the country and first woman to win a singles silver medal at the Youth Olympics after HS Prannoy (2010) and Lakshya Sen (2018). Yuzuno Watanabe won the womens singles bronze medal, defeating fifth seed Cheng Chihyun of Chinese Taipei 21-14, 21-8.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOTO: India badminton sensation Tanvi Patri poses with her womens singles silver medal at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar on 5 November 2026.