3 min learnUp to date: Feb 14, 2026 11:41 PM IST
It was double delight for India’s Para Badminton star Pramod Bhagat as he captured the lads’s SL3 gold medal with a commanding straight-game win over Muhammad Al Imran of Indonesia on the BWF Para World Championships in Manama on Saturday and added a doubles gold to his tally too with Sukant Kadam.
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The 37-year-old Bhagat outclassed his opponent 21-12, 21-18 within the closing to say his fourth consecutive singles gold on the world championships and his sixth total world title within the class. The victory underlines Bhagat’s sustained dominance within the SL3 division, which refers to a classification for standing gamers with important decrease limb impairment. Bhagat, who developed polio when he was 5, had secured world championship singles gold medals in 2009, 2015, 2019, 2022 and 2024.
Saturday’s sixth win in further particular for Bhagat as China’s legendary Lin Dan, his idol, had gained 5 males’s singles world titles in able-bodied badminton. The triumph additionally marked a big redemption for Bhagat, who served an 18-month suspension for violating the Badminton World Federation anti-doping whereabouts clause, which compelled him to overlook the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
Reflecting on his milestone achievement, Bhagat stated: “Successful my sixth World Championship gold and fourth consecutive title is an emotional second for me. Lin Dan has at all times been my idol, and to surpass his report is actually particular. Each medal represents years of exhausting work, sacrifice and perception. To proceed making historical past for India and lift the bar larger motivates me much more. I dedicate this victory to my nation and everybody who has supported me all through my journey.”
Pramod’s win prolonged to the Males’s Doubles SL3–SL4 class, the place he partnered with Sukant Kadam to say the gold medal. The Indian duo defeated compatriots Jagadesh Dilli and Naveen Sivakumar 21–19, 21–16 in a high-intensity closing.
Bhagat had additionally secured world championship singles gold medals in 2009, 2015, 2019, 2022 and 2024. (Particular Association)
For Sukant, the championship proved equally rewarding. Alongside his doubles gold with Pramod, he additionally secured a bronze medal in Males’s Singles. “Successful doubles gold with Pramod on the World Championships is a proud second. We’ve labored extraordinarily exhausting to construct our partnership, and delivering on the most important stage could be very satisfying. Including a singles bronze makes this marketing campaign much more significant for me,” Sukant stated.
Krishna Nagar additional strengthened India’s medal tally with a powerful double podium end. He clinched a bronze medal in Males’s Singles SH6 class and added one other bronze in Combined Doubles together with Nithya Sre.
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Earlier, Prem Kumar Ale and Alphia James gained silver, marking India’s first-ever medal within the Wheelchair class on the BWF Para Badminton World Championships. Kumar Nitesh claimed bronze in Males’s Singles SL3, whereas Umesh Kumar and Surya Kant Yadav secured bronze in Males’s Doubles SL3–SL4.
In girls’s occasions, Manasi Joshi and Thulasimathi Murugesan gained bronze in Ladies’s Doubles SL3–SU5, whereas Chirag Baretha and Mandeep Kaur secured bronze in Combined Doubles SL3–SU5. Naveen Sivakumar clinched silver in SL4, Manisha Ramdass gained silver in Ladies’s Singles SU5, and Nithya Sre added one other silver in girls’s singles to cap off a memorable marketing campaign.
(With PTI inputs)
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