Acing The Shuttle: India Wins Multiple Medals at BWF Para-Badminton World Championships

India won a total of 16 medals -- two gold medals, two silver medals, and twelve bronze medals -- at the BWF Para-Badminton World Championships.

Clinching his fourth gold at the World Championships, para-badminton player Pramod Bhagat defeated Nitish Kumar 21-19, 21-19 in the SL3 at the World Championships in Tokyo on Sunday. "This win is huge for me as I have been working very hard", Bhagat was quoted saying in a report by The Hindu.

Moreover, Tamil Nadu's Manisha Ramadass, whose right arm was clinically damaged even before she was born, won a gold medal in the women's SU5 category, after defeating Japan's Mamiko Toyoda 21-15, 21-15 in 30 minutes.

Bhagat's Winning Trajectory

Bhagat was only five when he developed polio, which affected the functionality of his left leg. When he was 13, he attended a badminton match and was immediately fascinated by the sport. Soon after, he started training to become a badminton player, working on his fitness, footwork, posture, and fixture of the game. While his first game, when he was 15, was against normal category players, spectators and coaches urged him to continue working on and building his badminton career.

So far, the 34-year-old Odisha para-legend has played in seven World Championships and has reached the finals in all editions except 2007 and 2017. He has won six gold medals, two silver medals, and three bronze medals, proving his capability consistently on a global platform. He is currently the world number 2 in para-badminton men's singles SL3.

To add to his latest joyous victory of winning a gold, Bhagat also won a silver medal in men's doubles, partnering with Manoj Sarkar. The badminton duo lost to Indonesia's Hikmat Ramdani and Ukun Rukaendi 21-14, 18-21, 13-21. After this iconic win, Bhagat's tally of World Championship medals stands at 11.

Speaking about his performance in the current edition, Bhagat said, "I am very happy with my performance in singles, in doubles we could have done better. This win tells me that I am moving in the right direction."

Indian Para Shuttlers Shine At World Championships

Tamil Nadu's Manisha Ramadass, whose right arm was clinically damaged even before she was born, won a gold medal in the women's SU5 category, after defeating Japan's Mamiko Toyoda 21-15, 21-15 in 30 minutes. Moreover, Manisha also won a bronze medal in women's doubles SL3-SU5 alongside Mandeep Kaur.

On Saturday, Gujarat's para-badminton players Manasi Joshi and Parul Parmar, who were also finalists at the Basel championships in 2019, won a bronze medal each in the women's singles SL3.

Tokyo Paralympics gold medallist in SH6 Krishna Nagar was defeated in men's singles after a quarterfinals defeat, however, he secured a bronze in mixed doubles alongside Nithya Sre, who won three bronze medals to her name.

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