DAKAR: India's Tanvi Patri scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman to win a women's singles badminton medal at the Youth Olympic Games, claiming silver at the 2026 edition in Dakar, Senegal.
The 15-year-old went down to reigning world junior champion Zhang Yi Xin of China in a thrilling three-game final on Thursday. Zhang won 15-21, 21-13, 26-24 in a contest that lasted 82 minutes.
Patri started strongly and took the opening game 21-15. Zhang responded by winning the second game 21-13 to force a decider.
The final game saw a dramatic fightback from the Indian. Trailing 10-19, Patri saved five match points and fought her way back into the contest. She also earned three match points of her own but could not convert them, as Zhang eventually sealed the game 26-24.
With the silver, Patri became the first Indian woman to win a badminton singles medal at the Youth Olympic Games. She joins HS Prannoy, who won silver in 2010, and Lakshya Sen, who finished runner-up in 2018, among India's individual badminton silver medallists at the event.
Patri's campaign in Dakar included victories over Japan's Yuzuno Watanabe in the semi-final and Thailand's Kungkaew Kakanik in the quarter-final. Her run to the final had already secured India its first women's singles badminton medal at the Youth Olympics.
The Badminton Association of India congratulated the young shuttler, with its general secretary Sanjay Mishra praising her fighting spirit and calling the achievement a moment of pride for the country.