By Olanrewaju Akojede
Nineteen-year-old Prakriti Bharath of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday won the women’s singles title at the 9th Lagos International Badminton Classics.
Bharath defeated Petra Maixnerova of Czechia in a keenly contested final played at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Institute for Sports (NIS), National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the four-day international badminton tournament, which began on Wednesday, ended with the finals on Saturday.
Speaking with NAN after her victory, Bharath described the triumph as a memorable achievement, saying it was her first international gold medal.
“I feel really happy and grateful because this is my first final in an international challenge and I won it.
“It’s my lucky day, so I’m extremely happy because I have been to some of the international classics which I did not win,” she said.
The 19-year-old said previous defeats at the round-of-16 and quarter-final stages had motivated her to work harder and learn from her mistakes.
“There were a lot of tournaments where I lost in the round of 16 or quarter-finals, so I feel like all that has helped me put in more hard work and learn from my mistakes.
“I feel like I put on a good show in this tournament because I faced an older player,” she said.
Bharath said she would intensify her preparations with the aim of winning more international tournaments and improving her ranking.
“I’m playing the Cameroon International Challenge this week and next week. So, hopefully, I get good results there as well.
“I need to improve on my ranking and get better and hopefully be back in Nigeria next year. It’s good here,” she said.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
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Edited by Emmanuel Afonne