Bhubaneswar: India’s ace para shuttler Pramod Bhagat, a native of Odisha, on Sunday clinched gold at China Para Badminton International 2025 on his return from suspension.
The Tokyo Paralympic champion shuttler defeated Indonesia’s Muh Al Imran in a thrilling 3-game battle (15-21, 21-19, 21-16) in the Men’s Singles SL3 final.
The 37-year-old, who last played in February 2024, was not able defend his Paris Paralympics title after he was handed a 18- month suspension for breaching BWF’s anti-doping whereabouts clause last year. The ban, which was announced by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) on August 13, remained in effect until September 1, 2025.
The BWF China Para Badminton International 2025 is a Grade 2 tournament on the BWF Para Badminton World Circuit.
On Saturday, Indian para badminton stars Abu Hubaida and Prem Kumar Ale secured a bronze medal in the men’s doubles WH1-WH2 category. The top-seeded Indian pair lost their semifinal match to China’s Mai Jianpeng and Qu Zimo (21-4, 21-10).
