Tokyo 2020 Paralympics
Badminton star Krishna Nagar wants to break the Semi-final jinx at Tokyo Paralympics
Para-badminton star Krishna Nagar opened up about his journey and ambitions for Tokyo Paralympics in a conversation with The Bridge.
Krishna Nagar (Source: BWF)
Growing up as a kid in India, you are judged for everything. From your body weight to your height, people expect you to be perfect in every sense; and as a child, all this tends to affect you adversely.
It is difficult to keep your spirits high and get by, especially if you have some medical condition. But those who rise above all this without letting it affect them and succeed in life certainly deserve appreciation. One such personality is the country's para-badminton star, Krishna Nagar.
"I was just two-year-old when I was diagnosed with dwarfism. Since my height did not increase then, my family consulted multiple doctors who helped us understand that there is some issue with my bone growth and my height may not grow like others," Krishna tells in a conversation with The Bridge.
But as anyone would, he tried all he could to increase his height during his childhood. He tried exercising, played multiple sports, including badminton, during his teenage years before accepting his reality and bumping into the concept of para-badminton.
"People did make fun of me when I was in school. There were people who said I would not be able to do anything in life. I was affected by it too and tried various kinds of exercises and played different sports to increase my height, but nothing really helped. After I reached college, I joined a stadium in Jaipur to play badminton for fun somewhere in 2017, and that is when I was introduced to para-badminton. The coach there explained to me how it works and how there is a category in para-badminton for people like me. There has been no looking back since," he explained proudly.
Hailing from the state of Rajasthan, Krishna has an Asian Games, World Championships bronze medal against his name competing in the Short Stature 6 (SS6 or SH6) category in men's singles. He now has his eyes set on the Tokyo Paralympics.
"People have a lot of expectations, but the only expectation I have from myself is that I cross the semifinal hurdle and give myself a shot at winning the gold medal. Both in Asian Games and World Championships, I lost in the semifinal. It is kind of an Achilles heel, and I want to overcome that," Krishna describes his goal going into the Tokyo Paralympics.
The 22-year-old is desperate to return with a medal for his family from Tokyo. He wants to do it for his father, who could not pursue his sporting ambitions and is now living his dream through his son.
"My family has always supported me. My parents have taught me a lot. In fact, the first time I held a badminton racquet was with my father. He used to play softball and had played until the national level but could not pursue it further due to family issues. It was his dream that either my siblings or I reach the Olympics. Now that I have qualified, I want to return with a medal for him," Krishna Nagar signs off.
