Para-shuttlers want nothing less than Asian gold

Pramod Bhagat (left) and Sukant Kadam after winning gold during the Four Nations Para-Badminton International tourney at Sheffield recently

INDIAN para-shuttlers Pramod Bhagat and Sukant Kadam are in the form of their life, winning six out of eight doubles titles since pairing with each other last year, besides claiming the World No. 1 ranking a few months ago.

Bhagat and Kadam recently won the men's doubles gold medal in the SL3-SL4 category at the Four Nations Para-Badminton International event at Sheffield, UK. The duo defeated the Indian pair of Deep Ranjan Bisoyee and Manoj Sarkar 21-17, 21-17 in the final. Besides the gold, Bhagat clinched silver medals in the singles SL3 and mixed doubles SL3- SU5 categories, while Kadam secured bronze in the singles SL4 category.

They now target nothing less than a gold in the upcoming Asian Para Games in China from October 22 to 28. However, the duo feel World No.1 ranking will bring added responsibility and pressure going into the tournament, "Definitely, there will be pressure. But pressure also helps you execute and give your best. People take it very lightly and get overconfident if there is no pressure. Hence, it's always good to have some pressure, as this will only encourage you to perform better," said Bhagat, a Paralympics gold medalist.

Kadam agreed with Bhagat. "There is always extra responsibility when you become World No. 1. Asian Games is a very big tournament, which comes once in four years. But pressure also presents opportunities to do well. You need to grab those and give your best. We are really confident of giving our best together," said Kadam, who will be participating in the men's doubles and men's singles categories.

Bhagat's 2021 Tokyo Paralympics singles gold created a lot of buzz in the country, contrary to his 2018 Asian Para Games singles gold-winning show. He feels another gold at the Asian Games will encourage youngsters to take the sport seriously. "I always dreamt of taking this sport to a new high in the country and saw it become a reality after I won the Paralympics gold. Many have started following us now. Hence, there will be a lot of hopes on me during the Asian Games. We will continue to be consistent and give our 100 per cent. An Asian Games gold will definitely encourage and motivate youngsters towards this sport," he said.

Bhagat, who will be participating in the men's doubles, mixed doubles and singles events, knows it's not as easy. "Yes, it will be very tough for me as I will be participating in three events; will not be easy to give my best in all matches. I will have to put in more effort and do more hard work than other athletes," he concluded.

Players with limb impairment or having poor walking/running balance fall into the SL3 category. SL4 includes athletes with minimal limb impairment while the SU5 category consists of players having an impairment in their upper limbs.