Pramod Bhagat clinches SL3 gold, wins record sixth world title
India’s Pramod Bhagat captured the men’s SL3 gold medal with a commanding straight-game win over Muhammad Al Imran of Indonesia at the BWF Para World Championships on Saturday. The 37-year-old Bhagat outclassed his opponent 21-12, 21-18 in the final to claim his fourth consecutive singles gold at the world championships and his sixth overall world title in the category. The victory underlines Bhagat’s sustained dominance in the SL3 division, which refers to a classification for standing players with significant lower limb impairment.
Bhagat, who developed polio when he was five, had secured world championship singles gold medals in 2009, 2015, 2019, 2022 and 2024. Following Saturday’s win, he surpassed China’s legendary Lin Dan, who won five men’s singles world titles in able-bodied badminton, making Bhagat the most decorated singles champion across world championship history in the sport. The triumph also marked a significant redemption for Bhagat, who served an 18-month suspension for violating the Badminton World Federation (BWF) anti-doping whereabouts clause, which forced him to miss the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
