World’s No. 1 para-shuttler Pramod Bhagat has stormed into the men’s singles badminton SL3 final at the Tokyo Paralympics on Saturday (September 4, 2021). In the ongoing Paralympics, the world champion defeated Japan’s Fujihara Daisuke in just 36 minutes in the semi-final.

He outclassed the Japanese shutter 21-11, 21-16, showcasing a wide array of strokeplay that has propelled him to be one of the best in the circuit. The 34-year-old looked in no trouble against Daisuke, continuing his hot run at the Tokyo Paralympics.

Pramod Bhagat, who has set his sights on the Paralympic gold on badminton’s debut at the Games, has dropped only one game en route to the final. He defeated compatriot Manoj Sarkar and Ukraine’s Oleksandr Chyrkov in the group stages.

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Born on June 4, 1988, Pramod Bhagat is an Indian professional para-badminton player from Odisha. He had been ranked world number one in para-badminton men’s singles SL3.

Pramod hails from Attabira in Bargarh district. He is one of six brothers and sisters. According to various reports, Pramod developed a defect on his left leg when he was five-years old. At the age of 13, he went to watch a badminton match and was fascinated with the game.

For the next 2 years, he was deeply engulfed in the game with footwork, fitness, and fixture of the game.

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He played his first tournament against normal category players when he was 15 years old. He was encouraged by spectators, which motivated him to move ahead in his badminton career.

In today’s tournament, Pramod will face Daniel Bethell of Great Britain in the men’s singles SL3 final at 3 pm IST. It will be the rematch of the World Championships Basel final as the No. 1 and the No. 2 seeds will go head to head against each other.