Paris Paralympics 2024: Meet Nithya Sre Sivan, 19-Year-Old Para-Badminton Player Who Fought Trollers Only to Clinch a Bronze Medal

Nithya Sre Sivan, one of the para shutller just did not overcome her plight but also clapped back at trollers with her talents.

The sky is the limit when it comes to talent and pursuing ones dreams. Nithya Sre Sivan is a living testament to it. It is not everyday that we meet people in real life who inspire others to be ambitious and have that never-say-die attitude. From loving cricket to being a para-athlete as a badminton player to clinching a medal at the Paris Paralympics 2024, Nithya has overturned every obstacle that came her way.

Nithya Sre Sivan won the bronze medal for India in the newly-introduced women’s singles badminton SH6 class at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. The 19-year-old Nithya, who came into the tournament as a top seed, dominated Indonesia’s Rina Marlina to win the contest 21-14, 21-6 in just 23 minutes.

The Indian shuttler made the bronze medal match after she was beaten by the People’s Republic of China’s Lin Shuangbao 21-13, 21-19 in the SH6 semi-finals.

All About Nithya Sre  Sivan

Hailing from Hosur Tamil Nadu, Nithya was an ardent cricket fan right from her childhood.  It all started at her home. Her brother was a district level cricket player and her dad too was a lover of the gentleman’s game. This inclined Nithya;s interest in it too. However, after the 2016 Olympics at Rio, her interest shifted to badminton.

“My favourite sport used to be cricket as my brother is a district player and my dad too is a cricket lover. [After watching badminton during the 2016 Olympic Games] I started admiring the game and the players. At this time a few of my street mates including my brother joined a badminton academy and I was sent to a classical dance school to learn Bharatanatyam. Somehow after so many days of waiting, I got my day to play badminton.” (thebespokediaries.com, 15 Feb 2023)

But times changed and so did Nithya’s fate. It was during lockdown when one of her father’s colleague recognised her talent for badminton and then there was no stopping the girl. Nithya’s idol is Lin Dan and she started reading more articles about the former World No. 1 which ignited her desire to pursue the sport.

But this was not it, Nithya had to go through a lot of trollers online who commented on her height. And Nithya’s talent is what is making her fligh high and making India proud.