Promising Odisha shuttler Pragati Parida won her third international medal of the year by securing the mixed doubles bronze in the Yonex-Sunrise India Junior International Grand Prix Badminton Tournament which was held at PDMBA Sports Complex in Pune, Maharashtra from 27 August to 1 September 2024.

Pragati secured the bronze medal by reaching semifinals with Mizoram partner C Lalramsanga. The Odisha-Mizoram pair, however, went down fighting in the semifinals against Indonesian duo of Muhammad Vito Annafsa and Keyla Annisa Putri 21-17, 15-21, 15-21.

A trainee of BAI National Centre of Excellence in Guwahati, 17-year-old Pragati also reached also participated in womens doubles and reached quarterfinals with Chhattisgarh partner Tanoo Chandra before losing to top-seeded Thailand opponents Kodchaporn Chaichana and Pannawee Polyiam 16-21, 19-21.

Pragati was the third women player from Odisha to compete in Pune junior international tournament. Tanvi Patri and Vishakha Toppo, the other two Odisha players, put up decent performances in U-19 women singles and mixed doubles respectively before bowing out in the quarter-finals.

Former trainee of Odisha-SAI Regional Badminton Academy, Bhubaneswar, Pragati had won her first two international medals of the year at the Hyderabad Kotak Junior International Series in Hyderabad and Li Ning Sri Lanka International Series in Galle.

With Pragati, Vishakha and Tanvi doing well at the junior international circuit, and the experienced Panda sisters (Rutaparna and Swetaparna) making their presence felt in the senior circuit, Odisha has come up with a strong womens team in badminton.