Sri Lankan shuttler Sanjeeva Perera made his presence felt at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China with an impressive performance by reaching the Men’s Singles pre-quarter-finals.
In a tough group consisted of players from Thailand, South Korea and China, Perera, competing in the para-badminton category SL4, won two out of three matches to place himself in the second spot in Group F.
Pereradefeated his formidable South Korean opponent Jeon Sunwoo21-14, 21-11 in his first Group match, before going down to Thailand’s ChawaratKitichokwattanawith a score of 21-14, 21-11.
However, the Sri Lankan player fought back with determination and resilience in his third match.
Perera overcame Hong Kong’s Patrick Lee Yan Ping 21-12, 21-3 to storm into the pre-quarter-finals.
In the Group stage, Perera finished second behind Kitichokwattana with 2 points, winning four out of six games.
In the first knockout round however, Perera’s opponent SiripongTeamarrom of Thailand was too strong.
Following a thrilling first set which ended 22-20 in Teamarrom’s favour, Perera went down fighting again in the second set as the Thai shuttler bagged the win at 21-12 and advanced to the quarter-finals.
However, Perera’s remarkable journey at the Asian Para Games managed to captivate fans and inspire aspiring athletes from all over the country as he looks forward to impress in future events while representing Sri Lanka.