EXCLUSIVE | Pramod Bhagat, 1st Indian to win GOLD in badminton at Paralympics, charts his journey

India's Pramod Bhagat in action at the Tokyo Paralympics (Twitter/juniorbachchan)

'Kehte hain agar kisi cheez ko dil se chaho…to poori kainath use tumse milane ki koshish mein lag jaati hai' - this dialogue by Shah Rukh Khan could be well associated with this Paralympics star. 

Pramod Bhagat stood up to everyone's expectation and won a gold medal in the first-ever badminton event held at the Paralympics in Tokyo. 

Ever since bursting into the scene in 2006, Bhagat has secured podium finishes, which include golds at the World Championships and Asian Para Games. It has surely been a long but fruitful journey, but nothing stopped the 33-year-old - even the defect in his leg.

The shuttler, who first featured in a tournament at a tender age of 15, has since achieved many accolades in his career so far, but it was the Paralympics and the yellow metal that Bhagat had his eyes set on. Talking to DNAindia.com, the Bhubaneswar-based athlete spoke about his journey, his preparation and lamented the bronze medal, which he missed in the mixed-doubles at the recently-concluded Paralympics. 

CHILDHOOD DREAM COMES TRUE!
I can't believe how happy I am today
as a kid I took inspiration from Sir @sachin_rt
The words you spoke to me today will stay with me forever & will keep inspiring me for life.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart 
I will be sleepless tonight  pic.twitter.com/KdssKlFqij

— Pramod Bhagat (@PramodBhagat83) September 8, 2021

The five-time World Champion and one-time Asian Games winner was very ecstatic when he learnt that badminton would be part of the Paralympics. "It was my dream to be part of Paralympics. Ever since I took up playing the sport, I have dreamt about being a part of the Paralympics. Being world No. 1, I knew I would qualify but the feeling was something new and when I heard the news, I had butterflies in my stomach." 

"It was something which I have been working towards. We had been training for over 8 hours a day and working on my game. During the lockdown, I improved on my physical fitness and also worked on my strokes and tried to remove my flaws. The process has been the same since day 1 of me becoming a professional player and till date, nothing has changed," said Bhagat.   

Bhagat was, in fact, the favourite to win gold in the Men's singles SL3 (standing/lower limb impairment/minor) category. So when asked if he felt any pressure about it, he said, "Yes, there was pressure for gold from everywhere, but that only motivated me to train harder and make sure I not only make my dream come true but also fulfil the dream of the entire nation. Whenever I play there is always pressure for winning, I use that to my advantage to motivate myself," he further said.   

The para-athlete took on Daniel Bethell of Great Britain in the finals and while the Indian won the opening game with ease, the second, which also turned out to be the last of the contest, saw him stage a remarkable comeback, as he eventually closed the contest with a 21-14, 21-17 scoreline.

When asked about his comeback, Bhagat said: "Bethell is a great player and we have had good duals in the past. In the final also he played a very good game. In the first game I played really well, but in the second game, Bethell played some great strokes and used strategy to take the lead."  

"I was down but not out; my entire focus was to win one point at a time. The moment I realised I was on a roll I knew I would be able to close the game. It was tough on me mentally and I had to change my strategy also, the moment I won the last point, rest is history." 

While we all cherished the gold, the top-seeded Indian was also part of a mixed doubles event with Palak Kohli, who finished fourth in their respective event. However, the pair failed to overpower the local shuttlers and lost their bronze medal match against Japan's Daisuke Fujihara and Akiko Sugino 21-23 19-21.

Sharing his thoughts on missing out on bagging multiple Paralympic medal at the same event, the 33-year-old said: "With Palak, I have not played a lot and are still trying to understand each other's game. Palak is a great asset and is the future of the sport."  

"I am disappointed that we lost the bronze medal in the competition, we gave our everything but sadly we couldn't finish the game. I would have loved to end up with a bronze in the category." 

THANK YOU INDIA

Ye medal har ek Indian ka hai jo sapne dekhta hai. Main tahe dil se Central government, meri Odisha government aur Humare Prime minister Modi ji ko dhanyavad kehta hoon. Ye jeet har us insan ki hai jisne mujhe support kiya hai.

Jai Hind  pic.twitter.com/WK7FZYfixd

— Pramod Bhagat (@PramodBhagat83) September 7, 2021

Meanwhile, India enjoyed their best medal haul at the Paralympics and finished the event with a total of 19 medals - five golds, eight silver and six bronze. India's previous best tally at a single edition was four, which they managed in 2016 and 1984, however the former saw more gold medals. 

Talking about India's success at the Games, Bhagat said: "It is great to see so many succeed in the tournament. I am very happy, all of us had put in a lot of effort and the results show for themselves." 

"I am sure that this win will set up a great platform for the younger generations. The government, SAI and TOPS have done a great job and am sure these results will also boost them and encourage them to promote the sport more." 

Speaking of his next target and his goals for the next Paralympics, scheduled to take place in Paris in 2024, the shuttler said: "The target is set to repeat my gold medal feat in singles and ensure I win a medal in other categories also."

"It's a dream come true for me and right now my focus has already shifted to putting my best in the world championship and also Paris. Lastly, I would want to give a platform to youngsters who can take up the sport and make sure they get all the facilities which I couldn’t get during my younger days."

Before signing off, Bhagat thanked everyone who motivated him throughout his journey. 

- written by Karen Noronha