Finance
India’s para badminton talents dominated the Japan Para Badminton International 2025, with Pramod Bhagat winning three gold medals in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. Krishna Nagar, the Tokyo Paralympic champion, followed with two gold medals, one in singles and one in mixed doubles, while Sukant Kadam won gold in men’s doubles and silver in singles.
Pramod Bhagat was the championship’s star performance, winning all three gold medals in his category—men’s singles, men’s doubles, and mixed doubles. Bhagat made an incredible comeback in the SL3 singles final after losing the first set to Daisuke Fujihara of Japan. Despite losing 17-21 in the first and 16-19 in the second, Pramod demonstrated steely grit to tie the match and then dominated the decider with a faultless performance to win 17-21, 21-19, 21-10 in an epic struggle spanning 1 hour and 33 minutes. In men’s doubles, Bhagat and Sukant Kadam defeated Jagadesh Dilli and Naveen Sivakumar in a hard-fought three-setter (21-17, 18-21, 21-16). He completed his golden hat-trick by clinching the mixed doubles SL4-SU5 title with Manisha Ramadass, overcoming fellow Indians Nitesh Kumar and Thulasimathi Murugesan 21-19, 21-19 in a close 29-minute contest.
Speaking after his triple triumph, Pramod Bhagat said, “Winning three golds here in Japan means a lot. It’s always special to perform in a country that appreciates para badminton so deeply. Each match tested me mentally and physically, and I’m proud of how I handled the pressure. This victory gives me great motivation ahead of future tournaments.”
Tokyo Paralympic gold medallist Krishna Nagar once again proved his class by winning two gold medals — in the SH6 men’s singles and SH6 mixed doubles. In the singles final, Nagar defeated the USA’s Miles Krajewski in straight sets. After trailing 11-17 in the first, he mounted a spirited comeback to take the set 22-20 before comfortably closing the second 21-13. Teaming up with Nithya Sre, Krishna added another gold to his tally in mixed doubles, showcasing his signature agility and tactical brilliance on court.
Krishna Nagar shared his delight, saying, “I’m thrilled with my performance this week. Every match was competitive, and I had to dig deep, especially in the singles final. I’m happy to bring glory to India once again and will keep striving to perform even better.”
Sukant Kadam also had a strong outing, earning one gold and one silver. He claimed gold alongside Pramod Bhagat in men’s doubles (SL3-SL4) and secured silver in the SL4 singles, where he went down to fellow Indian Naveen Sivakumar in a spirited contest.
Echoing the same sentiment, Sukant Kadam said, “This tournament was a big test of consistency and teamwork. The doubles gold with Pramod was special, and the silver in singles motivates me to work harder. The Indian contingent’s overall performance shows how strong our para badminton ecosystem has become.”
India’s successful campaign included several other medal-winning performances. Mandeep Kaur and Neeraj won silver and bronze medals in the women’s SL3 category. In the women’s doubles SL3-SU5, Manasi Joshi and Thulasimathi Murugesan won gold, while Neeraj-Arati and Sanjana Kumari-Shanthiya took bronze. Manasi Joshi and Ruthick Raghupati won bronze in the mixed doubles (SL3-SU5). Surya Kant won bronze in men’s SL4, while Thulasimathi, Manisha Ramadass, and Shanthiya took gold, silver, and bronze in women’s SU5. Hardik Makkar and Ruthick Raghupati won silver in men’s doubles SU5, while Nithya Sre capped India’s medal haul with gold in women’s singles SH6.
Source: IANS
