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Tag: Pramod Bhagat

  • After para world title, teenage shuttler Manisha has eyes set on Paris

    Manisha Ramadass, solely 17, and a para-badminton world champion within the SU5 class, was thrilled to listen to that 5 minutes after she received the title in Tokyo, her title flashed as ‘Breaking News’ on each Tamil channel. “I was Breaking News on all news channels,” she gleams, breaking into one other match of giggles.

    “I was a forcep baby,” the Thiruvallur resident has defined a number of moments earlier, in a quieter tone, describing rising up with a right-hand obstacle because of the natal harm. Three surgical procedures later, there wasn’t sufficient enchancment to name the arm ‘normal.’ Like a real champion, {the teenager} views this from the shuttle lens.

    “At the max level, the hand has only 40-50 percent of power it should. It can’t turn or lift or straighten like others. It’s a little lean,” she says, earlier than piping up mischievously: “it helps me deceive with my service – which I decided will be strong a long time back.”

    She performs along with her left hand however the different hand is essential as a result of quite a lot of energy in smashes will get generated from the proper, and the physique is usually centred and balanced owing to the non-hitting arm.

    Congratulations Champion: 🇮🇳 Manisha RAMDASS defeats 🇯🇵 Mamiko TOYODA 21-15, 21-15 in WS-SU5 finals BWF ParaBadminton World Championships Tokyo@narendramodi @ianuragthakur @NisithPramanik @CairnOilandGas @SBI_FOUNDATION @MyIndianBank @HeroMotoCorp @Citi @Media_SAI @DeepaAthlete pic.twitter.com/gKs7OViubQ

    — Paralympic India 🇮🇳 🏅#Praise4Para (@ParalympicIndia) November 6, 2022

    When she began at 10, after taking part in volleyball, handball and tennikoit, she fell in love with badminton. “I still remember, my first day at the academy was September 3 and I was very excited. After that, I never stopped except for 6 months for another surgery. I couldn’t give up,” says the teenager who has elevated her 6.5 hours of coaching each day to eight during the last six months . “The extra hours were simple strokes, light training because I knew others would come to the World Championships prepared. I needed more dedication.”

    Manisha says she doesn’t surrender quick, and that comes from off-court health work – agility and energy. She doesn’t know too many high names on the para-circuit, having began solely in March this 12 months, and has caught to idolising Saina Nehwal like she did on the outset, when she tried mimicking her smash and “kill fast drop”.

    Her father is a civil contractor who performed ball badminton. “But that’s a team sport. Not that I don’t like team games, I follow Barcelona every match,” she fortunately chortles. “And I like to draw and dance. Simple dance. Sketching is less now than during lockdown. But I love sleeping the most. It helps athletes in recovery,” she says.

    She’s slated to intention for gold on the Paris Paralympics, and take a look at for a double, combining forces with para shuttle’s legendary four-time singles and twice doubles World champion Pramod Bhagat.

    “Lin Dan’s 5 titles my goal”

    Bhagat defeated compatriot Nitesh Kumar for his fourth title, and says he uttered – 4 down, 1 to go. “Lin Dan had 5 continuous World titles. So when I won at Tokyo, I took a long breath and relaxed repeating ‘4 done, 1 left.’”

    It wasn’t as straightforward as strolling previous opponents given the standard of para shuttle has quickly risen because it turned a part of the Paralympics programme.

    This was evident in a 104-shot rally in opposition to Kumar that Bhagat dubs the turning level of the ultimate. He had narrowly eked out the opener 22-20. “The 100+ shots happened in the second, and winning the longer rallies meant the game changed after that. It had been close till then. I just told myself there’s no way I’m leaving the shuttle. I tried attacking drops, backhands, overheads and dribbles.” All alongside a straight axis principally, with various lengths.

    Top seed @PramodBhagat83 defeated Japan’s Daisuke Fujihara 22-20, 21-14 to enter the boys’s singles SL3 finals of BWF #ParaBadminton World Championships in Tokyo on Saturday
    Video: shot rally btwn 🇮🇳 Pramod Bhagat & Daisuke Fujihara 🇯🇵.@ianuragthakur @NisithPramanik @DeepaAthlete pic.twitter.com/QfeblQ7Pxv

    — Paralympic India 🇮🇳 🏅#Praise4Para (@ParalympicIndia) November 5, 2022

    It was a literal who-blinks-first as Bhagat saved tossing and lifting to Kumar’s forehand nook, stringing him on a back-and-forecourt yo-yo because the shuttle refused to hit the courtroom. Amazingly, he moved no more than a metre himself because the rally extended and saved pinning the opponent to a spot alongside the again strains, hoping to attract an error.

    Kumar was as much as the duty and returned for a complete 140 seconds – the rally in a non-drift, gradual shuttle stadium nonetheless seeing a quick alternate. It would finish with a sliced drop. “At the crucial time.”

    More crucially, Bhagat’s vitality reserves had been depleting as he had woken up the day of the ultimate with a slight fever, and felt his temperature spike because the match wore on. “The body pain was increasing and if it hadn’t been straight sets, it would be difficult. I just told myself no matter what happens, I won’t get unstable even if my strength is down. Yeh nikaalna hi hai match (this match has to be won),” he would say.

    Pramod Bhagat after turning into SL-3 world champion once more.

    The run-up to the para Worlds had been fairly tense, with three back-to-back finals losses to Japanese Daisuki Fujihara on the tour. “Those two months, I was very anxious because the pressure of losing to him had built up. Once was fine, twice ok, but a third time! In a big event like the World Championships, you can’t give the excuse that you had a fever! I had worked very hard in the two months leading up to the Worlds.”

    He would prepare on the Dravid Padukone academy in Bengaluru this time. “More skills and speed,” he stated, with Vimal Kumar and Sagar Chopda sharpening his internet play. “I used only 40 percent of the net skills this time, but I have lots more to win. So I will start using that when qualification for Paris starts,” he says. Meantime, there’s Lin Dan’s 5 straight titles from able-bodied badminton to intention for. Plus the doubles with Manisha. “Her energy is very good. She gives a good fight. I’m very excited to partner with her,” he says.

    “See I keep telling myself I’m the best. I know I’m not perfect, and galtiyaa ho jaati hai (mistakes happen). But I want to know I’ve given my best each time,” Bhagat says of aiming to be merely one of the best.

  • How Paralympic champion Pramod Bhagat by no means stops chasing perfection and turned his polio-weakened left leg into power earlier than profitable World title at Tokyo

    Not content material with 3 Para World Championship gold medals, shuttler Pramod Bhagat had spent the previous couple of months upskilling and getting even higher at his recreation, striving for perfection in an imperfect world, gunning for the fourth.

    The para-legend from Orissa defeated Nitesh Kumar 21-19, 21-19 in a intently fought World’s ultimate, to take his Championship depend to 4 titles in 7 occasions he’s been to. In truth aside from 2007 and 2017, Bhagat has received each different version he’s been to. The insatiable Steve Redgrave-ish urge for food for achievement comes from his relentless pursuit of studying new strategies to enhance his recreation.

    In February this yr, Pramod went all the way in which to Paris to fall in love together with his weakest hyperlink. All his life, the Tokyo Paralympics gold medallist shuttler in S3 class has labored each remaining muscle of his physique to compensate for a incapacity in his left leg, introduced on by polio. Never had the four-time World Champion been instructed that his perennially-protected leg ought to not be shielded, however launched into assault whereas lunging.

    In the primary 10 minutes of his 10-day coaching camp in Paris at France’s badminton improvement centre, the European coaches had lobbed a hitherto unheard poser at him: Why was he ‘hiding’ his left leg, so to talk, when enjoying?

    On a two-month coaching stint in Spain the place he proceeded to play a clutch of tournaments, Bhagat was upbeat about this refreshing mind-set that was spelt out to him when he travelled for a brief camp to Paris. “I normally under-utilise my left leg, because I know it’s weak and affected. But coach Mike there (he only addressed the English coach in Paris with his first name) told me that I can and should start taking training load on the left leg. I’ve loved the idea, and his plan, and I’ll follow through on that line of thinking,” Bhagat had instructed Express then.

    The technical recommendation he acquired, Bhagat reckoned, was an extension of the way in which Europe culturally views incapacity. “They don’t look at you with pity and sympathy. They said I’m an elite athlete and I have to turn every muscle into strength, maybe the weaker one will require more training. They don’t see disability as demotivating,” he remembers. “When I started, I thought they’ll use the usual shadow and multi-shuttle feed. But after just 10 minutes, they had me recorded, analysed on video, and we spent the next hour and a half on planning on how to achieve perfection in my weak leg,” he added.

    The Tokyo champion wanted a reboot of his recreation, after a string of felicitations left him stressed about sitting on his laurels. “I knew I had to get back on court and improve my game after I lost early in a tournament in Uganda.”

    What adopted was a coaching plan in Spain to get again into the groove. “I’ve trained in India for 20 years, with great benefits and achieved the milestone of winning the Paralympics. But I need extra tech inputs. Everyone is working hard, but if I just go with the flow, it won’t be enough. I have to become better,” he mentioned.

    European badminton – particularly Spain and France, the subsequent Olympics hosts – have fast-tracked their improvement programmes and are relying closely on sports activities science to meet up with Asian dominance in badminton. “They might not be as good as Asians on skill,” says the 33-year-old who honed his hand abilities at an Indonesian camp in 2016, “but they are working at another level on speed to reach under the shuttle early. They tend to be tall, but are adding power on the hitting shoulder with biomechanics and all drills are focused on speed.”

    Eye-opener

    For somebody who grew up nurturing reverse returns and dribbles, maxing out the complete power on the smash after which tempering it to half energy for variations has been a brand new precedence, if not solely a revelation. “In India, we do this in parts. But here, I trained with their able-bodied 15-19-year olds. And their speedwork is something else,” he stresses. Their thought of taking a breather was enjoying on the BlazePod, a light-based reflex coaching system the place one faucets on audio clues of various colors.

    While the Danes and English have influenced how remainder of Europe trains, France taking over badminton after profitable internet hosting rights, has gone full throttle with restoration tools and high-altitude chambers for juniors. “In India, I’d have to go to a hill station. But here though it was only a few hours of access to their hill training, I was impressed with what their athletes are doing,” he provides. “What I also learnt was to put more power on the third smash than the first and second.”

    The dynamic nature of his coaching in Paris the place coaches didn’t simply hand out a schedule of drills, however paused after knocking each couple of minutes to utterly analyse the sport and prop up weak strokes (parallel recreation in his case), has left Bhagat regaining his personal tinkering, tweaking spirit the place he continually fiddles with method. His rallying type was additionally revised – much less of the field recreation, extra of the European two-line enjoying juggles. “Just hard work doesn’t matter if I have to defend my title. I’ll have to get double better,” he mentioned, including the world higher be careful at each Games as Carolina Marin isn’t a uncommon phenomenon, and a French surge is imminent. “Who made the Syed Modi men’s singles finals?” he asks, referring to a pair of Frenchmen.

    Shuttle-throwing robotic machines are throughout French elite academies, spitting out toss, drop, smashed birds. And with 4-5 coaches for 14-15 gamers, there’s extra personalised consideration. “I’ll return and train for longer,” he says, now again in Spain.

    Bhagat was most impressed by parking spots earmarked for the disabled, and a complete vary of accessibility instruments accessible to him. “Since we are staying a little far off, we hired a specially-designed rental car. Took some time to get used to it, but now I’m scared I’ll struggle to drive back in India,” he laughs.

    Food was one other difficult concern for the vegetarian, although he warmed as much as the concept of French and Spanish athletes taking the weekends utterly off and displaying him round. “We are not used to switching off in India,” he chuckles.

    The language posed a problem initially, although he makes gentle of communication which has flowed ever since. “Google baba zindabaad! Meri bhi English mein kamzori hai, aur French players ki bhi. Aur dushman ka dushman dost hota hai (I am weak in English, and so are the French players. Two negatives combined to make a positive). I learnt basic French greetings and even spoke to the English coach in French,” he laughs. “We use our tongue more to speak. They have a throaty way of speaking. Bas woh mujhe aayaa nahi (I just couldn’t learn that),” he says. “In the end, we could understand each other – speed and fast fast we all understood,” he ended.

    After charming Tokyo twice at Paralympics and now World’s, Bhagat will return to Paris for one more gold hunt.

  • Fazza Dubai Para badminton: Pramod Bhagat, 4 different Indians enter semifinals

    Paralympic gold medallist Pramod Bhagat was made to toil onerous by fellow junior Nehal Gupta earlier than rising winner in three video games to enter the semifinals of the fourth Fazza Dubai Para Badminton International 2022 on Saturday.

    Bhagat, who received two gold medals on the latest Bahrain Para Badminton International 2022, got here again from a sport all the way down to beat Gupta 18-21 21-15 21-11 within the males’s singles SL3 occasion. “I took time to get my rhythm in the match. By that time, Nehal started playing well. He is improving fast and is highly skilled. He has a bright future,” stated Bhagat, who will subsequent face Japan’s Daisuke Fujihara, the Paralympic bronze medallist, in combined doubles.

    By definition, the SL3 class is for gamers with motion reasonably affected one aspect of the physique, each legs, or the absence of limbs. In males’s singles SL4 class, Tarun Dhillon additionally superior to the semifinals with a 21-15 20-22 21-14 win over Korea’s Cho Nadan.

    SL4 is for gamers with motion affected at a low stage on one aspect of the physique, in each legs, or the minor absence of 1 limb. The Haryana-based shuttler additionally entered the lads’s doubles SL3-SL4 semifinals partnering Nitesh Kumar.
    Joshi, Parmar, Ramadass, Kaur in semis too. The ladies’s SL3 semifinal line up has three Indians with reigning world champion Manasi Joshi set to face Australia’s Celine Aurelie Vinot whereas Mandeep Kaur will meet skilled Parul Parmar within the different last-four match.

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    Joshi can also be by to the combined doubles SL3-SU5 semifinal partnering Ruthick Ragupathi after they pulled off a come-from-behind win over the brand new pairing of Bhagat and Manisha Ramadass 21-12 16-21 19-21. SU5 is for gamers with motion affected at a low stage in a single arm, a excessive diploma within the non-playing arm the absence of 1 limb, or the minor lack of one limb.

    Meanwhile, Parmar and Palak Kohli have additionally superior to the ladies’s doubles SL3-SU5 semifinals. Ramadass additionally progressed to ladies’s singles SU5 occasion, defeating Italy’s Rosa Efomo De Marco in straight video games 21-17 21-11. She will play Cathrine Rosengren of Denmark within the semifinals

  • Neeraj Chopra, Pramod Bhagat obtain Padma Shri

    Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra on Monday acquired the Padma Shri, the nation’s fourth highest civilian award. The 24-year-old javelin thrower acquired the celebrated award from President Ram Nath Kovind on the Rashtrapati Bhavan throughout a ceremony.

    President Kovind presents Padma Shri to Shri Neeraj Chopra for Sports. He is the primary Track & Field athlete to win a gold medal for India on the Olympic video games. pic.twitter.com/aLqmYUDO6a

    — President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) March 28, 2022

    Paralympic gold medallist in badminton Pramod Bhagat was additionally conferred with the honour alongside Chopra.

    President Kovind presents Padma Shri to Shri Pramod Bhagat for Sports. An worldwide Para Badminton participant, he has received Gold Medal in Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. He is the present World No. 1 and World Champion in Men’s Singles and Men’s Doubles occasion. pic.twitter.com/ZOkTgGz1x9

    — President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) March 28, 2022

    Chopra made historical past on the Tokyo Olympics by changing into the primary Indian to win a gold medal in a monitor and area occasion within the Games’ historical past.

    He additionally grew to become solely the second Indian to win a person Olympic gold after shooter Abhinav Bindra.

    The 33-year-old Bhagat additionally grew to become the primary Indian to win a gold medal in para badminton, which made its debut on the Paralympics final yr.

    Bhagat, who had contracted polio when he was 4 years outdated, received the gold within the males’s singles SL3 class.

  • Padma Awards 2022: Neeraj Chopra, Avani Lekhara get Padma Shri

    Padma Awards 2022: The Centre on Tuesday unveiled the record of Padma awardees for 2022, with Olympic gold successful javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and 20-year-old para shooter Avani Lekhara amongst these awarded the Padma Shri.
    Star Paralympic athlete Devendra Jhajharia was the one sportsperson awarded with the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian honour within the nation. Forty-year outdated Jhajharia has two gold medals within the javelin competitors of Paralympic Games, 2004 Athens and extra just lately in Rio 2016. He received a silver within the F46 occasion on the Tokyo Paralympics final yr.
    The different sportspersons awarded with Padma Shri are para javelin thrower Sumit Antil, para badminton participant Pramod Bhagat, 93-year-old Kalaripayattu (indigenous martial artwork type) legend Sankaranarayana Menon Chundayil, former worldwide martial arts champion Faisal Ali Dar, 29-year-old girls’s hockey participant Vandana Kataria and 67-year-old former Indian soccer workforce captain Brahmanand Sankhwalkar.

    Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, SII MD Cyrus Poonawalla to be conferred with Padma Bhushan
    Olympians Neeraj Chopra, Pramod Bhagat & Vandana Kataria, and singer Sonu Nigam to be awarded Padma Shri pic.twitter.com/J5K9aX9Qxz
    — ANI (@ANI) January 25, 2022

    Padma Awards – one of many highest civilian Awards of the nation, are conferred in three classes, specifically, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The Awards are given in numerous disciplines/ fields of actions, viz.- artwork, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, commerce and trade, medication, literature and schooling, sports activities, civil service, and many others. ‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for distinctive and distinguished service; ‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished service of excessive order and ‘Padma Shri’ for distinguished service in any subject. The awards are introduced on the event of Republic Day yearly.

    The awards are conferred by the President of India at ceremonial capabilities that are held at Rashtrapati Bhawan often round March/ April yearly. This yr the President has authorized conferment of 128 Padma Awards together with 2 duo case (in a duo case, the Award is counted as one). The record this yr contains 4 Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan and 107 Padma Shri Awards. 34 of the awardees are girls and the record additionally consists of 10 individuals from the class of Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI and 13 Posthumous awardees.

  • Pramod Bhagat is a supply of inspiration for whole world: Sachin Tendulkar

    After the newly-crowned Paralympics gold medallist Pramod Bhagat met Sachin Tendulkar on Wednesday, the legendary cricketer praised the shuttler for his current achievement, saying he’s “a source of inspiration for the entire world.”
    Pramod met the “Master Blaster” on the latter’s residence in Mumbai.
    “Childhood dream comes true! I can’t believe how happy I am today. As a kid I took inspiration from sir @sachin_rt,” Pramod wrote as a caption on Twitter.
    “The words you spoke to me today will stay with me forever & will keep inspiring me for life. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I will be sleepless tonight.”
    In reply to the 33-year-old’s tweet, Tendulkar stated in a put up on Twitter, “Even I was delighted to meet you, Pramod. It pleased me to know about your childhood. What you did for your country at the Paralympics is a very big achievement.”
    “You are a source of inspiration for the entire world, not only for India. Continue shining our country’s reputation in a similar fashion in the future!”

    मुझे भी आपसे मिलकर बहुत खुशी हुई प्रमोद और आपके बचपन के बारे में जानकर बहुत अच्छा लगा।
    आपने जो देश के लिए किया है वह बहुत बड़ी सफलता है।
    आप भारत ही नहीं, पूरी दुनिया के लिए प्रेरणा के स्रोत हैं।
    ऐसे ही 🇮🇳 का नाम ऊंचा करते रहो! 😃🏸 https://t.co/mVYWWjCxAq
    — Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) September 9, 2021
    Pramod bagged India’s first-ever badminton gold medal on the Games, Olympics or Paralympics, after beating Great Britain’s Daniel Bethell 21-14, 21-17 within the males’s singles SL3 occasion on the Tokyo Paralympic Games final Saturday.
    “I dedicate this medal to my parents who are no more. They always dreamt of me going to the Paralympics and bringing laurels to the country. They would have been the happiest of all if they were to be around,” the world quantity had stated.
    “I am also grateful to all the Indians who have supported and believed in my ability. The feeling of winning gold is unmatched. The emotions when the National Anthem was played when I was standing on the podium was something which I will never forget. There can’t be a better feeling for any athlete.”

  • Bhagat-Kohli blended doubles duo loses bronze medal match in Paralympics badminton

    The Indian blended doubles duo of Pramod Bhagat and Palak Kohli suffered a slim defeat by the hands of Japan’s Daisuke Fujihara and Akiko Sugino of their bronze-medal play-off match of the Paralympics on Sunday.
    The Indian duo misplaced 21-23 19-21 to their Japanese opponents within the SL3-SU5 class last that lasted 37 minutes to finish their marketing campaign at fourth place. They had earlier misplaced the semifinals 3-21 15-21 to the Indonesian mixture of Hary Susanto and Leani Ratri Oktila.

    The two pairs had been neck-and-neck all through the match. The Indians had been 10-8 up within the first recreation however the Japanese got here again strongly to stage at 10-10. After that, the score-line learn 14-14, 18-18 after which 20-20. The Indians had been up 21-20 however then ultimately misplaced 21-23.

    Absolutely unbelievable show of gritty teamwork & partnership by @palakkohli2002 & @PramodBhagat83 in Mixed Doubles SL3-SU5 #Badminton to shut out #IND‘s magnificent historic rally at #Tokyo2020 #Paralympics! A effectively fought 4th place, what a match!🏸 #Praise4Para #Parabadminton pic.twitter.com/1l5FJSWKWx
    — Paralympic India 🇮🇳 #Cheer4India 🏅 #Praise4Para (@ParalympicIndia) September 5, 2021
    In the second recreation additionally, the 2 pairs had been on equal footing and 10-10 on the halfway level earlier than the Japanese surged forward to win 21-19 and pocket the bronze. The 33-year-old Bhagat on Saturday claimed India’s first badminton gold on the Paralympics in males’s singles SL3 class. It was 19-year-old Kohli’s debut Paralympics.
    In SL3 class, shuttlers with minor decrease limb impairment play standing whereas gamers with higher limb impairment play standing in SL5.

  • I simply inform myself I’m the very best: One extra India para story with gold lining

    There’s a Nawazuddin Siddiqui soundtrack taking part in behind the inscrutable face that Pramod Bhagat wears to any match — even the one the place the SL3 class shuttler had India’s first ever para badminton medal, a gold, round his neck after a 21-14, 21-17 remaining.
    His buddy Sukant Kadam, world No. 5 in SL4, and his roommate, began chanting Bhagat’s favorite line from the gritty movie Manjhi: “Jab tak todenge nahin, tab tak chhodenge nahin.” He wouldn’t go away Daniel Bethell, until he broke the Englishman.
    While SL3 refers to gamers with standing or decrease limb or minor impairments, SL4 has gamers with extra extreme impairments.
    Down 4-11 within the second recreation at Tokyo, with the match drifting away seemingly right into a decider, Bhagat would go into what Kadam calls his Dhoni mode. “He keeps unreally calm, never reacts and enjoys these situations where he has to make up leads,” he says, of the 2009, ’15 and ’19 world champ.
    Bhagat retains it easy: “I just tell myself I’m the best. Chill.” It’s what he instructed himself each time he stepped onto the court docket — at Attabira in Odisha, the place he took to badminton, considering the outside court docket a stroll within the park, regardless of the polio-afflicted left leg dragging his actions; when he realised what acute poverty meant, with a pair adopting him and inspiring him to play each sport; and when after three world singles titles, he discovered himself in a Paralympic remaining, desirous to cap a profession with absolutely the gold.
    Bhagat would kickstart India’s journey in badminton’s debut on the Paralympics, with the nation anticipating three extra medals, together with gold from Noida District Magistrate Suhas LY and Krishna Nagar, Sunday.
    Manish Narwal received India’s third gold medal Saturday in P4 Mixed 50m Pistol SH1 occasion (arm impairment to lesser extent) whereas Singhraj Adhana introduced up a 1-2 end within the occasion, with a silver. Manoj Sarkar bagged the bronze behind Bhagat in SL3.
    Shooter Avani Lakhera will even intention to match Joginder Singh’s file of three medals in a single Paralympics Sunday.
    India is already properly previous its finest ever Paralympics efficiency, with 17 medals, together with 4 golds, and is twenty sixth on the medal desk.
    Kadam recollects the time spent with the newly minted champion, whom he discovered with out airs and with a dramatic sense of humour, peppering badminton analyses with film strains. “He sleeps very few hours. He is constantly into badminton, and loves the sport, philosophising on it. “Neend raat bhar kyun nahin aati… Pehle aati thi haal-e-dil pe hansi, ab kisi baat pe nahin aati (Why can’t I sleep all night… Earlier I was able to laugh at the predicament of my heart, but now I am unable to laugh at anything)” — unable to sleep one night time in Tokyo, this Mirza Ghalib couplet is what Bhagat would textual content his Academy mates.

    On Saturday although, he would goof about on the medal ceremony, after pulling off the silent heist with an 11-point rally. “Point by point,” he would say later of his meticulous accumulation of winners, inducing errors within the opponent.
    Bhagat has coached in colleges, riffed inspiration from the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, after whose retirement he stopped watching cricket, and tweaked his 10 items of prosthetics to get the precise one to help him after his ankle bent outward. “He is like a scientist with his left leg prosthetic. He keeps making minute changes on it. Number of shoe pairs = 4. Number of prosthetics = 10,” Kadam says.
    Not an attacking participant, obsessive about profitable and summoning strokes cannily from his huge bouquet, Bhagat would web India’s historic medal mistaken footing Bethell, who stopped again slightly considering the shuttle would journey additional, however the Indian looped it shut. “He is very creative in strokes. There is a deception manoeuvre he aces — primes to play a toss, but drops his racquet with a zap, connecting with shuttle at knee level to confuse his rival,” Kadam says. “But it’s his legendary calm. He is never panicky. This gold was about years of patience and sudden acceleration,” he says in regards to the 34-year-old.
    Soon after the medal, Bhagat would inform Kadam in a quick name how he imagined the scenes of his well-wishers celebrating. He was chuckling how it might be in India, although deep down he would dedicate the medal to his organic and adoptive mother and father who raised him. “He lost his mother at the start of the pandemic. Then Tokyo got cancelled and he was depressed. But then badminton rescued him,” Kadam says.

    Bhagat likes excesses carefully. “He will live on fruits for days, and go to McDonald’s and have three large French fries. He loves sweets, kaju katli. So to compensate for the cheat meals once in a blue moon, he eats very little otherwise,” Kadam says, of the eccentric technique to his insanity.
    Bhagat can be recognized to inform juniors that stadiums don’t matter. “They are just places where you have to win. Drift, conditions are all tamed if you focus on winning,” he recollects. He received’t overlook Tokyo in a rush although.

  • Winning first badminton gold for India is a second to cherish: Pramod Bhagat

    Reigning world champion Bhagat beat Bethell 21-14 21-17 within the summit conflict. Another Indian, Manoj Kumar received the bronze after beating Daisuke Fujihara within the third place play-off.
    With badminton making its debut on the Paralympics this 12 months, Bhagat, the present world No. 1, thus turned the primary Indian to win a gold medal within the sport.
    “This is a very proud moment for me. I’m representing the Indian badminton community and India as a whole,” Bhagat stated after profitable the gold.
    “This is the first time that para badminton is appearing in the Paralympics and winning the first gold medal for India is a moment to cherish for me,” stated 33-year-old from Odisha.
    Bhagat, who had contracted polio when he was 4 years previous, thus avenged his loss to Bethell on the Japan Para Badminton International in November 2019.
    “I performed the identical opponent in Japan two years in the past and I misplaced. That was a studying alternative for me.
    “Today it was the same stadium and the same environment, and I devised a strategy to win. I was very determined.”
    On his technique, Bhagat stated, “I just focused on playing the shuttle on each and every point rather than on winning the whole game. Every point was precious.”
    Bhagat additionally stays in competition for a bronze medal in combined doubles SL3-SU5 class. He and his associate Palak Kohli will sq. off towards Japanese pair of Daisuke Fujihara and Akiko Sugino within the bronze medal play off on Sunday.
    They had misplaced the semifinals 3-21 15-21 to Indonesian mixture of Hary Susanto and Leani Ratri Oktila earlier within the day.
    Bhagat picked up the sports activities after watching his neighbours play. Initially, he competed towards able-bodied gamers earlier than moving into aggressive para badminton in 2006.
    He ultimately emerged as probably the greatest para shuttlers within the nation with 45 worldwide medals underneath his belt, together with 4 world championship gold medals and a gold and a bronze in 2018 Asian Para Games.
    He additionally had began his profession as a badminton coach however took a break in 2019 to deal with Tokyo Paralympics qualification.
    In 2019, he obtained the Arjuna Award and Biju Patnaik Award for Excellence in Sports in India.

  • ‘Amazing, remarkable’: Pramod Bhagat baggage historic badminton gold at Paralympics

    With the win, the 33-year-old turned the primary Indian to win a gold medal within the sport.
    Bhagat additionally stays in rivalry for a bronze medal in blended doubles SL3-SU5 class. He and his associate Palak Kohli will sq. off in opposition to Japan’s Daisuke Fujihara and Akiko Sugino within the bronze medal play-off on Sunday.

    A dominant #Gold medal for #IND 🔥 💪
    World No. 1⃣ Pramod Bhagat overcomes a second set deficit to win 21-14, 21-17 in opposition to #GBR‘s Daniel Bethell in the #ParaBadminton Men’s Singles SL3 Final!
    India’s 2nd 🥇medal of the day! 😍#Tokyo2020 #Paralympics @PramodBhagat83 pic.twitter.com/UnmkTecHrE
    — #Tokyo2020 for India (@Tokyo2020hi) September 4, 2021

    Pramod Bhagat has received the hearts of your complete nation. He is a Champion, whose success will inspire thousands and thousands. He confirmed outstanding resilience & willpower. Congratulations to him for profitable the Gold in Badminton. Best needs to him for his future endeavours. @PramodBhagat83
    — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 4, 2021

    G O L D 🥇!
    Pramod Bhagat scripts historical past to bag 1st ever gold medal in Men’s Singles SL3 occasion at #Paralympics
    A outstanding achievement !The 4 time BWF Champion provides a #Paralympics Gold to his title#Cheer4India #Praise4Para pic.twitter.com/qZ77Bf8gJA
    — Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) September 4, 2021

    India’s season of firsts continues! This time in badminton!! World no.1 @PramodBhagat83 turns into India’s first shuttler to win a Gold medal in Paralympics or Olympics. Cannot be prouder! Many congratulations on a dominating show, champ! #Praise4Para #Tokyo2020
    — Abhinav A. Bindra OLY (@Abhinav_Bindra) September 4, 2021

    Alchemists’ Day! #Gold , solely theres no magic right here, however sheer grit and exhausting work! @PramodBhagat83 you’ve got lived upto expectation and rising to the event is maybe the perfect half! Take a bow. #ParaBadminton #Paralympics @IndiaSports activities @ParalympicIndia @Media_SAI
    — Joydeep Karmakar OLY (@Joydeep709) September 4, 2021

    So wonderful and satisfying second for all of us. Congratulations 👏 https://t.co/jqizkceP2Z
    — M C Mary Kom OLY (@MangteC) September 4, 2021

    Big huge congratulations to u @PramodBhagat83 for profitable the gold medal 🥇🇮🇳🇮🇳👏… #Badminton #TokyoParalympics 👍 pic.twitter.com/jB0sBaBczf
    — Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) September 4, 2021

    Congratulations @PramodBhagat83 🥇🥇🥇 #Paralympics #Tokyo2020 #Cheer4India https://t.co/elz7TBfSeG
    — Parupalli Kashyap (@parupallik) September 4, 2021