Tokyo Paralympics: Pramod Bhagat defeated Daniel Bethell of Great Britain in the men’s singles SL3 final, giving India its first ever gold medal in Badminton at the Paralympics in Tokyo.
Pramod won in 45 minutes in two straight games, 21-14 and 21-17.
Badminton is competing in the Paralympic Games for the first time.
This is India’s 16th medal in the Tokyo Paralympics, and the country’s fourth gold medal.
Pramod Bhagat took 21 minutes to win the first game and 24 minutes to win the second.
In the second game, Bethell came out with all guns blazing.
Top-seed Pramod’s unbeaten streak continued as he swept the first game 21-14 in just 21 minutes.
He overcame a brief spell of resistance from the Brit to grab a 1-0 lead after racing to a 15-9 lead.
He raced out to a 12-6 lead, putting the Indians on the defensive.
Pramod Bhagat, on the other hand, rallied back to tie the game at 15-15.
He then stormed ahead to win the second game 21-17 in 24 minutes, securing India’s second gold medal.
Pramod Bhagat, the current World No. 1, defeated Fujihara of Japan 21-11, 21-16 in the first men’s singles SL3 class semifinal, which lasted 36 minutes.
Meanwhile, Suhas Yathiraj (SL4) and Krishna Nagar (SH6) yet to compete in their respective finals, India has an opportunity to add to their gold medal total at the Paralympics.
On Sunday, both players will compete in their respective singles gold medal matchups.
Pramod Bhagat has another chance to finish on the podium in the mixed doubles event, where he will be paired with Palak Kohli for the bronze medal match against Akiko Sugino and Daisuke Fujihara of Japan on Sunday.
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