Pramod Bhagat Shines at BWF Para World Championships: A Historic Gold Medal Win!
Pramod Bhagat's Remarkable Achievement
Manama: Pramod Bhagat from India clinched the gold medal in the men's SL3 category with a decisive victory over Indonesia's Muhammad Al Imran at the BWF Para World Championships held on Saturday.
The 37-year-old athlete dominated the match, winning 21-12, 21-18, marking his fourth consecutive singles gold at these championships and his sixth overall title in this category.
This victory highlights Bhagat's continued excellence in the SL3 division, which is designated for standing players with significant lower limb impairments.
Having contracted polio at the age of five, Bhagat has previously won world championship singles gold in 2009, 2015, 2019, 2022, and now 2024.
With this latest win, he has surpassed the legendary Lin Dan of China, who secured five men's singles world titles in able-bodied badminton, establishing Bhagat as the most decorated singles champion in the sport's world championship history.
This triumph also serves as a significant comeback for Bhagat, who faced an 18-month suspension due to a violation of the Badminton World Federation's anti-doping regulations, which caused him to miss the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
In addition to his singles success, Bhagat teamed up with Sukant Kadam to win the men's doubles SL3-SL4 title, defeating fellow Indians J. Dilli and N. Sivakumar with scores of 21-19, 21-16, thereby achieving a remarkable double victory.
In other notable results, N. Sivakumar was the runner-up in the men's singles SL4 category, losing to top seed Lucas Mazur from France with scores of 12-21, 21-19, 14-21.
India's M. Ramadass, the top seed in women's singles SU5, also finished with a silver medal after being defeated by China's Yang Qiu Xia with scores of 11-21, 11-21.
Additionally, top seed N. Sumathy Sivan was the runner-up in the women's singles SH6 category, falling to China's Li Feng in a closely contested three-game final with scores of 14-21, 21-12, 17-21.