Milena Surreau: All you need to know about Palak Kohli’s opponent in para-badminton at Paris 2024 Paralympics
India will start its Paris 2024 Paralympics journey with a host of para-badminton events on Thursday, and one of the bouts will see India’s rising para-shuttling star Palak Kohli face off against local starlet Milena Surreau in the SL4 category event.
Despite being five years junior to her opponent, 22-year-old Palak Kohli will go into the match as the favourite, as the World Championships bronze medalist enjoys a higher rank and well as better current form compared to her opponent on the day.
Surreau, on the other hand, suffered a massive injury scare before her participation in the Paralympic Games. The 27-year-old para-shuttler, who suffers from a rare neurological disease that causes weakness in her leg muscles, fell down the staircase and damaged her spinal cord. After extensive rehabilitation, she confirmed her participation in the Paris 2024 Paralympics, which is a massive feat in itself.
However, two-time European Championships runner-up Surreau will know better than to count herself out before the match. She has consistently shown her merits over the last few years, becoming the French champion in 2022, despite picking up the sport only one year prior.
On Thursday, with the vociferous French crowd backing her up, Surreau will look to upset the apple cart by getting a good result from her bout against Palak Kohli.
Milena Surreau’s medals and achievements
- 2023 European Championships: Silver Medal (Women’s Singles), Silver Medal (Women’s Doubles)
Milena Surreau’s world rankings
With a career-high rank of No. 5, Surreau is currently ranked No. 12 in the world in the women’s SL4 category, having taken part in seven BWF competitions and accumulating 26,727 points.
After an injury scare from falling down a flight of stairs, she has also fallen in the rankings behind fellow French para-shuttlers Faustine Noel and Lenaig Morin.
Milena Surreau’s Paralympic qualification
Despite being France’s highest-ranked para-shuttler in the SL4 category at the time of qualification, Surreau could not secure a place in the Paralympic Games due to her low singles ranking and had to rely on the Bipartite Commission Invitation to secure her berth in the Paris 2024 Paralympics.
Milena Surreau vs Palak Kohli: Head to Head
Surreau and Kohli have yet to meet head-to-head in any competition so far.
Milena Surreau vs Palak Kohli match details
The match between Surreau and Kohli will take place from 4:40 pm IST onwards at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena in Paris.