Bhubaneswar: He may be 37 years old, but age has not slowed down Pramod Bhagat.
Odisha and India’s ace para shuttler Pramod clinched a triple crown at the 1st Abia Para Badminton International tournament in Nigeria which concluded on October 5.
Pramod, the Tokyo Paralympic gold-medallist, won the men’s singles SL3 crown with a hard-fought win over compatriot Mantu Kumar in the final.
Pramod, who returned to action two weeks ago following an 18-month suspension by clinching the singles title at the China Para Badminton International meet, brushed off the loss of the second game to triumph 21-7, 9-21, 21-9.
Pramod then combined with Sukant Kadam to claim the men’s doubles gold. It was a comfortable ride in the final for Pramod and Sukant, who saw off the challenge of Nigerian pair Chigozie Jeremiah Nnanna and Obinna Preciuos Nwosu 21-13, 21-18.
In mixed doubles (SL3-SU5), Pramod and Arati Patil overcame Peru’s Gerson Jair Vargas Lostaunaul and Diana Rojas Golac 21-13, 21-17 in the final to be crowned champions.
“Every victory motivates me to push my limits further. Competing at this level and bringing glory to India is always special. I’m proud of the hard work and the support team behind these wins,” Pramod said after a commanding all-round performance that reaffirmed his stature as India’s most decorated para shuttler.
Pramod had missed the Paris Paralympics after three whereabouts failures, leading to a prolonged ban.
“Playing alongside Pramod always pushes me to bring my best game. Our understanding on court has grown stronger with every match. This win gives us great confidence for upcoming international events,” Pramod’s partner Sukant said.
Nurul & 2 other Odisha players win 4 more medals
Odisha had more reasons to cheer about as three other participants won medals in different categories.
Nurul Hossain Khan emerged best in men’s doubles (WH1-WH2), and also claimed silver in men’s singles (WH-2).
Kuldeep Mahakul and Biswas Ranjan Panda bagged a bronze medal each in men’s singles (SL-4) and men’s doubles (SU-5)events, respectively.
