Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s Pramod Bhagat Pramod Bhagat will be the first para badminton player to receive the prestigious Padma Shri award that was announced by the Central government on Tuesday.
Pramod, who is busy training in Spain, was ecstatic when he heard the news. In his reaction the World No 1 para shuttler said, “It’s a truly humbling experience to be honoured with the Padma Shri award and will inspire me to earn more laurels for my country.”
“This will inspire me to strive harder and put in extra efforts in training for Asian Games and World Championships which are scheduled this year,” he added.
Pramod became the first Indian to ever win a gold medal in badminton at Tokyo Paralympics last year. The ace athlete was conferred with Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in October 2021.
