Pramod Bhagat Wins Gold & 2 Silver, Leads India's Para Badminton Glory in Spain

The Paralympic champion clinched one gold and two silver medals, spearheading India's strong showing on the international stage, according to a release.

Pramod Bhagat's campaign was highlighted by a gold medal finish in the Mixed Doubles SL3-SU5 category, where he partnered with Manisha Ramdass. The Indian duo displayed excellent chemistry and resilience as they defeated compatriots Nitesh Kumar and Thulasimathi Murugesan in straight games. They took the first set comfortably at 21-15, before edging a closely fought second set 24-22 to seal the title in a 30-minute encounter.

In the Men's Singles SL3 final, Pramod Bhagat put up a determined fight but settled for silver after going down to fellow Indian Nitesh Kumar with a scoreline of 10-21, 17-21.

He added a second silver in the Men's Doubles SL3-SU5 event alongside Sukant Kadam. The pair fought valiantly against the Indian combination of Naveen Sivakumar and Surya Kant Yadav. After losing the opening set 16-21, Bhagat and Kadam bounced back to win the second 21-12, but eventually fell short in the decider 15-21, securing silver.

Pramod Bhagat said: "I'm really happy to come away with a gold and two silvers from Toledo. Every match was a tough challenge, especially competing against my fellow Indian teammates. Mixed doubles was particularly special -- Manisha and I showed great understanding and composure in crucial moments. This performance gives me a lot of confidence, and I'm motivated to keep improving and perform even better in the upcoming tournaments."

India's overall campaign in Toledo was marked by multiple podium finishes across categories. Nitesh Kumar secured gold in Men's Singles SL3, while Manasi Joshi and Thulasimathi Murugesan clinched gold in Women's Doubles SL3-SU5. Thulasimathi Murugesan also secured gold in Women's Singles SU5, with Manisha Ramdass finishing with silver in the same category. Several other Indian shuttlers contributed to the medal tally with podium finishes, underlining the depth and strength of India's para badminton contingent.

- ANI