Umesh Vikram Kumar continued to prove his prowess as one of the finest male para-shuttlers in the world by winning the 2026 BWF Peru Para-Badminton title.
The 33-year-old sealed the trophy in the city of Lima after winning a thrilling all-Indian final against Vijender.
The summit clash saw a tense battle, which saw the match go into a third set and lasted one hour and 30 minutes. Umesh won the opening set by a 21-16 margin but lost a nail-biting second set by a 22-24 margin. In the decider, the veteran shuttler kept his nerve to win by a 21-15 margin.
Earlier, Umesh was given a bye in the quarterfinals and had also faced a fellow countryman in the semi-final. In the last four clash, he cruised to victory against India’s Dinesh Rajaiah by a 21-10, 21-19 margin in a match that lasted just 28 minutes.
Polio Crippled To High Jump To Badminton – Umesh Vikram Kumar’s Inspirational Story
Umesh hails from Pupri, a small village in Bihar, which is only 30km away from the Nepal border. He was diagnosed with polio when he was only two years old. The disease has affected him in the left leg and led to him being a para sportsperson.
His journey as an athlete did not start with badminton but instead in track and field as a high jumper. He won a school competition in fifth grade, where able-bodied athletes also competed. He won a national Paralympic Games gold medal in 2010. However, he suffered an injury in 2011, which was the catalyst to him switching to Badminton.
“I faced several challenges growing up. But I always chose to overcome them and prove myself. Sports was one way of doing this as it always gave me positive energy,” said Umesh in a past interaction with Tata.com
“While recovering, I switched to badminton just out of interest. Other players were fast and I didn’t even know the basics of the game,” he added.
Umesh has become one of the best players in the world over the last decade, with a bronze medal in the men’s doubles at the Para-Badminton World Championships in 2019. He was ranked world number one in the Men’s Singles 3 category for three weeks in September 2025. Meanwhile, he occupied the top rank in the Men’s Doubles SL3/SL4 category for 11 weeks from May 2025.
Umesh has won over 23 international medals for India in his glorious career. Meanwhile, he has been employed by Tata Steel since 2018.