Tokyo 2020 Paralympics
Taunted for his short height once, Krishna Nagar clinches gold to surpass it all
Krishna Nagar's indomitable spirit and oomph is enough to make up for his short stature as he takes the biggest of leaps by winning gold at the Paralympics.
Krishna Nagar (source: Getty Images)
Let's face it - height can be a sensitive issue and the blame is on the society to have created this stigma surrounding people who do not fit into the normative height presumed to be 'normal'. Ace para badminton player and freshly crowed Paralympic gold medallist, Krishna Nagar, was also subject to the same set of stigmas and taboos, growing up in a country like India. Participating in the SH6 Men's Singles gold medal clash, Krishna Nagar did everything and much more, if not better, than what an able-bodied, appropriately-statured athlete can do on as he delivered a powerful performance against Hong Kong's Chu Man Kai to win in three sets, 21-17, 16-21, 21-17!
At just 2 years of age, Krishna noticed that he wasn't growing as he was supposed to and wasn't at par with other people his age. Consulting a doctor soon after, it was found that Krishna had dwarfism and therefore, a deficiency in growth hormones. At school, Krishna was taunted for his height and made fun of - which further pushed him into denial. Like any other short kid, Krishna, too would try ways to get taller - increase his height - which is why he got more involved in sports.
"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," Krishna Nagar mentioned in an exclusive interview with The Bridge, before he left for the Tokyo Paralympics.
Although Krishna didn't rise as tall as others, he knew that he had the talent in him to scale higher boundaries. With a natural talent in sporting activities, Krishna always excelled in sprints, jumps and was a budding athlete from a very young age. Never letting his height bother him after a point, Krishna's perspective about life changed when he came across para badminton in 2017.
"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," Nagar proudly recalled.
Instantly, his life changed as he fell in love with sport that involved being able to do all the things he liked - jump, sprint, smash, be agile! Krishna Nagar, is an explosive player to watch on the court - he moves extremely fast and is very creative with his shots. The physical height is hardly a deterring factor for Nagar as with this Paralympic gold, he has surpassed it all - all the taboos, stigmas, et al, to establish himself as the true champion player that he is!
