Son of rice mill worker, Pramod Bhagat establishes himself as GOAT of para badminton

Extremely familiar with success, Pramod Bhagat has been there and done it all in para badminton. At the Tokyo Paralympics, Pramod, the reigning World No. 1 as well as the World Champion, capped off a spectacular run in the Men's Singles SL3 event in thunderous style by winning a gold medal - the very first one by an Indian shuttler in either Olympics or Paralympics! Defeating Great Britain's Daniel Bethell, Pramod Bhagat added one more feather to his already overly-adorned cap by winning the Paralympic gold.

It's official Pramod Bhagat wins first ever GOLD for India in the first ever edition of #ParaBadminton at #Paralympics pic.twitter.com/J4zgwwMmu2

— Doordarshan Sports (@ddsportschannel) September 4, 2021

Few have dominated para badminton as wholly as Pramod Bhagat has. Hailing from Attabira, Odisha, Pramod comes from a family of six brothers and sisters, and despite being physically impaired in the leg due to an early case of polio, the 33-year-old has climbed the highest rungs of honour that is on offer in the world of para badminton.

Currently, Pramod Bhagat sits quietly on the perch, a mischievous smile playing on his lips, and a crown resting on his head of being the Greatest of all time (G.O.A.T) as he owns the Paralympic gold, the World Championship title and the 2018 Asian Para Games gold aside from being the Numero Uno - Bhagat has redefined greatness with this feat.

Pramod's father, the late Kailash Bhagat, who would work as a rice mill worker while his mother, Kusum Devi, managed the household - never for once held Pramod back or deterred him from pursuing what he loved. A lover of cricket, Pramod ran into difficulties when he was just 5 and realized he had polio and the doctor asked his father, Kailash, where to direct the effects of polio - to the hands or to the legs. That early decision left Pramod's left leg ineffective and his hands intact and set him on the route for success in the SL3 category of badminton.

#RaiseARacket 🏸 for Team India's 🇮🇳 medal contender at the @Paralympics in the SL3 category, Pramod Bhagat.#Tokyo2020 Qualifiers 👉 https://t.co/qPz99LGlUs#BadmintonUnlimited pic.twitter.com/B3eRnfa8gD

— BWF (@bwfmedia) August 12, 2021

Pramod Bhagat's fitting tribute to his role model

The 33-year-old Arjuna awardee from Odisha has always been vocal about his family and the support they have given him, through the thick and thin. Hailing from humble backgrounds, Pramod's journey to the top hasn't been a cakewalk but he has always managed to overcome the greatest of difficulties courtesy his late father, Kailash who taught him to dream big always.

"My father is my role model as well as my strength. I have always followed him to live my life with high spirit. He cared for me and at the same time, had complete trust in me. He had always supported me for my choices and gave me the freedom to fly high," Pramod mentioned in an interview to Sportsmatik.

Not only his father, both Pramod's parents have always stood by him and it is also because of their efforts and sacrifices that Pramod stands where he does today - a surreal journey it has been for this humble para badminton star!

"I have a very supportive family that cares a lot for me. They have always supported me and encouraged my choices in life. Especially, my parents who have been there to step-up my morale. My father expired in 2006 due to some severe health issues. That time, I had to play at a national level event. I insisted on staying with him, but he pushed me to go and play. I agreed to go, but when I returned from the event, he had passed away," Pramod recalled in an interview.

With this achievement at the Paralympics in his bag, Pramod Bhagat has done more than enough to do his friends and family as well as an entire nation extremely proud of his antics.