Pramod bags gold and silver, Sukant completes career 100-medal haul in Japan

Tokyo Paralympic gold medallist Pramod Bhagat secured a gold in men’s singles SL3 and silver in men’s doubles SL3-SU5, while Sukant Kadam bagged the 100th medal of his career at the Japan Para Badminton International here on Sunday.

Pramod, a six-time world champion, produced a dominant performance to defeat fellow Indian U Kumar 21-16, 21-8 in 30 minutes in the men’s singles SL3 final.
He then partnered Kadam in the men’s doubles SL3-SU5 final, where the Indian pair went down 5-21, 15-21 to Indonesia’s Hikmat Ramdani and Fredy Setiawan.

“I am very happy to finish the tournament with a gold and a silver. The singles final was challenging, especially after U Kumar got the early lead, but I stayed patient and focused on my game,” Pramod said in a release. 

“Once I found my rhythm, I was able to take control. The doubles result was not what we wanted, but I am proud of the fight we showed. Every international tournament is an opportunity to learn and improve, and I will take the positives from Japan,” he added. India also secured several other medals across categories with Chirag Baretha and Singapore’s Wei Ming Tay winning gold in men’s doubles SU5.

Shashank Kumar claimed two bronze medals, finishing third in men’s singles WH1 and partnering Ammu Mohan for another bronze in mixed doubles WH1-WH2.

Deep Ranjan Bisoyee and Kuldeep Mahkul also won bronze in men’s doubles SL3-SU5, while Takar Biri and Harshit Choudhary finished third in the same category. Abhijeet Sakhuja added another bronze in men’s singles SL4. For Kadam, the tournament was particularly special as he took his career tally of medals to 100 in 12 years of competitive badminton. The milestone came alongside a silver in men’s doubles and a silver-medal finish in men’s singles SL4. 

In the men’s singles SL4 final, Kadam lost 8-21, 16-21 to France’s Lucas Mazur. “Reaching 100 career medals is a very special moment for me. When I started playing para badminton 12 years ago, I never imagined that I would reach this milestone,” he said. “There have been many ups and downs, victories and defeats, but every match has taught me something. I am grateful to everyone who has supported me throughout this journey.

“At the same time, I don’t want to look at 100 as the finish line. It motivates me to keep working harder and aim for many more achievements for India,” he noted.