Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur on Saturday congratulated shuttler Pramod Bhagat for scripting history by winning the gold medal at the ongoing Tokyo Paralympics.
"G O L D! Pramod Bhagat scripts history to bag 1st ever gold medal in Men's Singles SL3 event at #Paralympics. A remarkable achievement! The 4 time BWF Champion adds a #Paralympics Gold to his name," tweeted Thakur.
Former Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra also took to Twitter to congratulate Bhagat for scripting history.
"India's season of firsts continues! This time in badminton!! World no.1 @PramodBhagat83 becomes India's first shuttler to win a Gold medal in the Paralympics or Olympics. Cannot be prouder! Many congratulations on a dominating display, champ! #Praise4Para #Tokyo2020," tweeted Bindra.
Pramod Bhagat clinched the gold medal after defeating Great Britain's Daniel Bethell by 2-0 in the men's singles SL3 -- final match here at Yoyogi National Stadium on Saturday.
Battling it out on Court 1, the first-seed Indian overwhelmed the second-seed Daniel Bethell in straight sets by 21-14 and 21-17 in 45 minutes. This is India's first medal in badminton at the Tokyo Paralympics.
There was very little to separate both players in the initial minutes of the first set but soon Pramod who was first trailing 3-5 gained his way back into the match. The Indian went into the mid-game interval with an 11-8 lead. Bhagat continued with his agility as he dictated the pace and moved Bethell back and forth on the court. In 14 minutes, Pramod clinched the first set by 21-14.
Bethell made Bhagat work very hard in the second set as he tested the number-one seed's patience thoroughly. The Briton ran with an 11-4 lead in the mid-game interval but soon Bhagat clawed his way back into the match as he cut the deficit to just one point on 13-12. With the better kill shots in his arsenal, the Indian soon levelled the match at 15-15. From then, Pramod continued to dominate as he again started controlling the rhythm of the match to find the top step of the podium. He won the second set by 21-11.
( With inputs from ANI )
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