The Indian Para Badminton contingent made history after their Hangzhou Para Asiad tally of 21 medals (4 Gold, 4 Silver and 13 Bronze). Their World Championship campaign in Pattaya, Thailand has seen another record medals tally of 18 medals including 3 golds. India finished 3rd in the medals table.
The world championship is a biennial event and this was the last competition for the Paralympic qualifications. “This will be a big boost for us ahead of Paris Paralympics. I believe thirteen of my athletes will get Paris quota” said Gaurav Khanna, the national head coach.
In the men’s singles category, the team had bagged three gold medals. Tokyo Paralympics Silver medalist Suhas Yathiraj defeated Indonesia’s Fredy Setiawan 21-18, 21-8 in the final to secure a SL4 gold. Sukant Kadam won bronze in the same category.
Defeating the World No.1, Daniel Bethel in SL3 category, Pramod Bhagat, the Tokyo Gold Medalist, added to the gold medals tally. He won the final coming from behind after losing the first game; 14-21, 21-15, 21,14. Nitesh Kumar and Manoj Sarkar won bronze in the same category.
Krishna Nagar, another Tokyo Paralympic Gold medalist and Hangzhou APG 22 silver medalist bagged another gold for India. He defeated China’s Naili Lin in straight games, 22-20, 22-20. “I have been struggling with the finals lately. In Hangzhou also I made a mistake in the third game. I have to rectify those errors and hopefully will get the best medal in the World Championship in Thailand”, said the Tokyo World Championship bronze medalist in an exclusive conversation with the writer ahead of this campaign.
Apart from the gold medalists, the other medal winners have also impressed a lot. “Besides these gold medalists I’m so happy with the other athletes also. Chirag Baretha and Mandeep Kaur have defeated the Asian Para Games medalists and Tokyo Silver medalists, World no.3 Lucas and Noel of France. They have delivered outstanding performance throughout”, added Gaurav Khanna. Chirag Baretha along with his partner Rajkumar won the silver medal in men’s doubles SU5 category. The Chirag Baretha and Mandeep Kaur pair also bagged a bronze medal in the mixed doubles SL3-SU5 category along with Pramod Bhagat and Manisha Ramadas pair.
Indian Para Team Won 18 Medals at BWF Para Badminton World Championships Held from 20th – 25th February 2024 at Pattaya, Thailand
18 Medals🏆
3. Gold🥇
4. Silver🥈
11. Bronze🥉Gold Medalists🥇
1. MS SL4 – Suhas Yathiraj
2. MS SH6 – Krishna Nagar
3. MS SL3 – Pramod… pic.twitter.com/BraHCTJmYt— RevSportz (@RevSportz) February 25, 2024
Coach Khanna had special praises for young Palak Kohli who was diagnosed with a tumour and was out from the badminton landscape for a long time and made a comeback. Palak won a bronze medal in the women’s singles SL4 category and have defeated World No. 2, Haruka Fujino in the quarterfinal in straight games. “She has performed so well, defeating the Tokyo Paralympics medalists on her way to the podium. She has shown that she has the potential to make a podium finish in Paris.”
The young pair of Nehal Gupta and Naveen Sivakumar won a bronze medal along with their compatriots Pramod Bhagat and Sukant Kadam. Nehal and Naveen didn’t qualify for the World Championships before but they have proved their abilities this time round. “I’m very happy for the youngsters, Nehal and Naveen. Earlier they didn’t get a spot for the World Championships but when they got the quota, they proved their worth. They have defeated the Asian Para Games gold medalist pair and showed that the future of the sport in India is bright”, said Gaurav Khanna.
The most promising angle from this chat was emphasis on the women athletes. Along with the senior players like Manasi Joshi and Mandeep Kaur, youngsters like Palak Kohli, Nithya Sree, Manisha Ramadas and others have also made their places on the podium.
With this historic feat in the World Championships, the Indian para shuttlers have gained a huge boost ahead of the Paris Paralympics. “It is my commitment that the shuttlers will definitely cross 10 medals and the female athletes will make a difference in the forthcoming Paris Paralympics.”
Gold Medalist
- MS SL4 – Suhas Yathiraj
- MS SH6 – Krishna Nagar
- MS SL3 – Pramod Bhagat
Silver Medalist
- WD SH6 – Nithya Sre and Rachana Patel
- WS SU5 – Manisha Ramadass
- MD SU5 – Chirag Baretha and Rajkumar
- WD SL3-SU5 – Thulasimathi M. and Manasi Joshi
Bronze Medalist
- MS SL4 – Sukant Kadam
- MS SL3 – Manoj Sarkar
- MS SL3 – Nitesh Kumar
- WS SL4 – Palak Kohli
- WS SH6 – Nithya Sre
- WS SL3 – Manasi Joshi
- WD SL3-SU5 – Manisha Ramadass and Mandeep Kaur
- XD SL3-SU5 – Chirag Baretha and Mandeep Kaur
- XD SL3-SU5 – Pramod Bhagat and Manisha Ramadass
- MD SL3-SL4 – Pramod Bhagat and Sukant Kadam
- MD SL3-SL4 – Nehal Gupta and Naveen Sivakumar