Chennai, Sep 16 (IANS): Tamil Nadu's Namakkal district administration, on Monday, honoured Thulasimathi Murugesan, the Paralympic silver medal winner in badminton from the state.

The 22-year-old hailing from Kancheepuram is a para-badminton player who won a silver medal in the just concluded Paralympic tournament in Paris.

She is the first Indian woman to win silver in the badminton singles at the Paralympics.

She is studying in her third year at Namakkal Veterinary Medical College and was honoured at a function at her college.

Rajya Sabha member K. R. N. Rajeshkumar gifted a gold chain to Thulasimathi.

Speaking at the function, Thulasimathi Murugesan said that her father encouraged her from childhood to play the sport.

She said that from childhood, she underwent training at Kancheepuram government grounds and did not join any private training centre. She added that she won the Paralympic silver medal with the help of government training.

She said: "Chief Minister M. K. Stalin and Sports Development Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin encouraged players by providing schemes and now they announced government jobs will be given to players winning national and international games.”

She further said that the Tamil Nadu Government had provided sports equipment worth Rs 7 lakh to her for preparing for the games and that it has helped her in a big way.

The Silver medal winner at the Paralympics said: "I thank the Chief Minister and the Sports Development Minister for encouraging players like us through various schemes.”

It may be recalled that in the Asian Games 2023 in China, she won gold in singles, silver in doubles, and bronze in mixed doubles.

The Tamil Nadu government had awarded her one crore rupees for this achievement.

In the function, District Collector S. Uma, Namakkal MLA P. Ramalingam and officials from concerned departments also participated.