After a thrilling three-game win over Hong Kong’s Chu Man Kai in the men’s singles SH6 class final, Indian Paralympics shuttler Krishna Nagar secured India a second gold medal in badminton at the Tokyo Paralympics. With Krishna securing gold, India reached a record of five gold medals in the Paralympics.
The 22-year-old from Jaipur, who was seeded second, defeated his opponent in the final 21-17 16-21 21-17 in 43 minutes to keep his perfect record at the Games and join Pramod Bhagat on the gold medal list.
It was a close race between Nagar and Man Kai Chu from the beginning. In the first game, Kai Chu had a slim lead going into the mid-game break, but Nagar battled back to win the opening game 21-17.
The Hong Kong player built a lead in the second game, and it seemed that Nagar’s game slowed in the opening half of the second game. Chu Man Kai maintained his momentum and rallied to win the game 21-16. In the third and the final round, it was Krishna’s amazing skills and talent that showed and he went on to win the gold for India.
Upon winning the medal, many congratulatory messages were poured in his way including the Prime Minister of India Mr. Narendra Modi. He made it a point to call Krishna himself and praise him for his efforts in making India proud.
“This is a dream come true. I want to thank my father, mother, uncle, auntie, God, my coaches”.
“This is the first time that badminton has been added to the Paralympics and I hope that India will keep winning and doing their best at upcoming Games,” were the words of Krishna Nagar upon his victory.