Para Badminton World Championships: Pramod Bhagat, Manisha Ramadass bag gold

Tokyo, November 6

Paralympics champion Pramod Bhagat and Manisha Ramadass emerged champions as India finished with a total of 16 medals at the BWF Para Badminton World Championships.

Bhagat defended his men’s singles SL3 title as he defeated compatriot Nitesh Kumar 21-19 21-19 in 53 minutes to clinch the gold medal.

Manisha beat local star Mamiko Toyoda 21-15 21-15 in the women’s singles SU5 final. Having started playing at the senior international level only in March this year, it was definitely a milestone for the 17-year-old from Chennai.

“This has been the biggest moment of my life,” Manisha said. “I have waited for this moment and worked hard for the past few months for this. It feels awesome to be the world champion. I hope I can continue with such results,” she added.

11 medals

Bhagat now has 11 medals — six gold, two silver and three bronze — in the World Championships. “It feels nice to become the world champion again,” Bhagat said. “Ending the year with another milestone is great,” he added.

“The match wasn’t easy as we knew each others’ game and strategies. Nitesh was making a comeback in the second game but I am happy to pull it off. This win is huge for me as I have been working very hard. This win tells me that I am moving in the right direction,” he added.

However, Bhagat and Manoj Sarkar had to settle for the silver medal in the men’s doubles SL3-SL4 event after the duo lost 21-14 18-21 13-21 to Indonesia’s Hikmat Ramdani and Ukun Rukaendi.

Among the other Indians, Manasi Joshi and Nithya Sre had won multiple bronze medals.