Tokyo Paralympics Gold Medallist Pramod Bhagat Nominated as Para Badminton Player of the Year
Pramod Bhagat has been nominated as Male Para Badminton Player of the Year.
On Thursday, India’s Tokyo Paralympics gold medallist Pramod Bhagat has been nominated along with six shuttlers for the Male Para Badminton Player of the Year award. In September, Bhagat had achieved a gold medal in the men’s singles SL3 class in the Tokyo Olympics. Apart from this, his name was also put forward in the nominations for the newly introduced Para Badminton Pair of the Year. His name was nominated for Para Badminton Pair of the Year along with Manoj Sarkar and five other nominees. In the Tokyo Paralympics, Sarkar had achieved a bronze medal in the men’s singles SL3 class.
Currently 33 years old, Bhagat had contracted polio at the age of four years. He used to watch his neighbors play the game which developed his interest. He is world number one and Asian champion in SL3 class. Athletes who have lower limb impairment compete in SL3 class of the sport.
In view of the Covid-19 pandemic, the eligibility period for the award has been extended to cover the 2020 and 2021 seasons (November 1, 2019 to October 31, 2021). The Badminton World Federation (BWF) will be announcing the winners for the same during the Bali Leg of the HSBC BWF World Tour in Indonesia in November-December.
As per the Badminton World Federation (BWF), "The BWF Awards Commission also wished to make special mention of the extraordinary journey of Guatemala’s Kevin Cordon across four Olympic Games and his stunning performances at Tokyo 2020 which took him to the semifinals."
