Paralympic champion Krishna Nagar reflects on his Asian Para Games campaign, discussing his mixed results, the rapid growth of para-sports in India, and his determination to excel in future international competitions despite recent setbacks.
Reflecting on the Asian Para Games Campaign
India para-badminton player and Paralympic champion Krishna Nagar reflected on his Asian Para Games campaign, saying that his performance in the singles competition disappointed him and he could have approached things better in the quarterfinals. He also spoke about the message he would give to his younger self after experiencing so much success in major competitions.
The Paralympic champion Krishna had a great campaign in the Asian Para Games, with a bronze medal alongside Nithya Sre in the mixed doubles SH6 event. He also won a silver with Sivarajan Solaimalai in the men’s SH6 doubles competition. However, he did not have a great singles outing, losing in the men’s singles SH6 quarterfinals.
Reflecting on his campaign, Krishna told ANI, “It feels good that I have again won a silver and a bronze medal. But I am a little disappointed with my performance in singles; I could have won a medal in singles. And I felt I was a sure shot to win a medal this time in singles. Last time I played in the finals, I won a silver (in the 2022 Asian Para Games). So I think this time I was fully confident in my training that I would do it this time. But you can say that luck did not go my way. The mistakes I made in the last 4-5 points disappointed me.”
“I was leading by 11-6 in the quarterfinals at one point, and I lost the match from there. I am a little dissappointed. If I had maintained more focus and done things normally with more calm and less hurry, it would have been better, and I would have been playing in the semifinals today. But the rest is fine,” he added.
Future Goals and Growth of Para-Sports
Krishna said that after a Paralympic gold medal in 2020 and in the World Championships in 2024, he went with a mindset to get an Asian Para Games gold and complete the set. However, with that desire left unfulfilled, he eyes more glory in the coming years in the 2028 Paralympics and Asian Para Games in 2030.
Support and Infrastructure
Speaking on the growth of para-sports and para-badminton in India, Krishna hailed the Sports Authority of India (SAI), the central government and their Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) for the support, which has led to an increase in the number of para-sports athletes. He also said that there is so much competition in his singles category that the world championship changes hands from one country to the other.
“I think if you look at India, after 2021 Paralympics and 2024 Paralympics, the growth in India, I think it’s huge and much better. The way the central government and SAI, and the way TOPS are supporting, is incredible. And the way the state government has taken out policies for government jobs and all these things, it is much better. You will see that there are a lot of Paraplayers in India. The competition has become tough. In my category, the competition in the world has become such that you will see a new champion in every big event,” he said.
Adapting to New Rules
Krishna said that with badminton and para-badminton moving to a 15-point-per-game system soon, there will be a need to maintain agility, power, speed and endurance right from the start.
“In those 15 points, we will have to combine agility, power, endurance, etc. We will have to focus right from the first point and use our power and speed,” he added.
Media Impact and Personal Journey
On the mindset shift after crossing the 100-medal mark in the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou and increased coverage from India, Krishna expressed happiness at how the media coverage has increased and made para athletes feel that they truly belong in the bigger scheme of things in Indian sports.
“100 medals being crossed (in the 2022 edition) was incredible for India. Secondly, all these social media and media platforms support us so well. They support us, feeling that we are their stars. The recognition we get is because of them all. They show us that we are something, that we para athletes are something in such a large population. Sponsors are coming for us, and we want to be supported the same way as the able-bodied athletes, as it is done in cricket. There are several sports,” he added.
Krishna, who started his para-badminton journey in 2017 and made his presence felt with a 2018 Asian Para Games bronze, silver and bronze at the 2019 World Championships and a gold medal at the 2020 Paralympics, feels really happy about his journey. He also admitted that being a para-athlete, he faced some bullying and taunts from people and it is still a part of his life to a small extent.
“It was normal to be bullied in childhood. Before, no one knew about para sports. I think it still happens sometimes, as people who do not know about it are like, what are para sports, how are they played, and how are the players taking part in them. When they do not know, they comment something or the other. But it feels like a part of life, so it is okay,” he added.
Having overcome bullying and defying his physical shortcomings, Krishna has achieved plenty of success in para-sports and is already an all-time great in his discipline. Speaking about the message that he would give to his younger self, the para-shuttler said, “I would tell him that everything is possible, prayers always work, and tables always turn.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)