Want to create at least four World Champions like me: Pramod Bhagat 

World No.1 Pramod Bhagat began the crucial Paralympic year with a dominating performance at the Dubai Para-Badminton International 2021. He bagged a gold medal each in the SL3 men’s singles final and doubles SL3 - SL4 event to regain confidence after returning to the court following the break forced due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The premier shuttler, however, is looking beyond the years of his illustrious para-badminton career.

Starting in 2009, he went on to train hundreds of aspiring badminton players in the Sambalpur district of Odisha and Nagpur in Maharashtra, before shifting focus to his playing career again in 2017 owing to an injury.

The four-time World Champion (singles and doubles) now hopes to use his coaching experience to create at least four players like him in near future.

"Actually, I was a coach and taught a lot of kids in my area. I have coached for seven years. In 2017, I decided to stop coaching due to injury and started to focus on myself for the upcoming Paralympics. After becoming a World Champion in 2009, a school had offered me to coach kids of my area," Bhagat told the Olympic Channel.

"Then I coached in Sambalpur (district). We made a community for middle-class and poor children to support them and at least pick 100 students and give them training. From them, at least 8 to 10 children are playing at state or national level," he added.

"I want to start an academy in near future and create at least 2-4 champion players like me".

But his journey to becoming a world-beater was not easy as he developed a defect on his left leg owing to polio at the age of five. And the start to his para-badminton career would eventually come after a few hiccups.

"They (Pramod's parents) didn't understand at first what has happened to me. They took me to the hospital and there a doctor told them that his whole body has been infected with polio. Then the doctor suggested to do a plaster on one part (either hand or leg) of my body so that the entire infection gathers at one part. That is why my father decided to do the plaster on the left leg," Bhagat recalled.

Bhagat would start playing badminton at the age of 15 with his close circle. This is when he started to develop a keen interest in the sport but had to wait patiently for more than a year to feature in a club-level match as some of the other members thought critically about his condition.

"When I was around 15-16, I used to play in clubs around with an outdoor court. Everyone used to play after finishing their school homework from 8pm to 10pm. There I gradually started developing an interest. The first year I just went and saw the game. Then we made a court on the terrace and started playing. That is where my game started growing gradually. Then we started playing with the seniors where two of my friends got chance to play," he said.

"Everyone was scared to give me a chance as they thought I might injure myself. We used to play season-wise (in winters).

"But luckily one day, one of the members was not present and they called me to play. They were impressed with my good performance and offered me to come to play with them everyday," the Paralympian added.

After showing constant growth at the club level, it was in 2006, when Bhagat first enrolled himself as a para-badminton player.

"Then we used to play outdoor tournaments and initially lost a lot of matches but picked up gradually, Then we went to (watch) state-level tournament where someone suggested me that there is a discipline like para-badminton," Bhagat said.

"And then in 2006 I professionally started as a para-badminton player," he added.

His growth in para-badminton has been quite evident as he went on to display his brilliance in World Championships besides clinching a top podium spot at 2018 Asian Para Games. Now with the Paralympics in focus, he is wary of World No. 2 Daniel Bethell who could be a major challenge for him at the Games and thus wants to study his game at the Spain Para-Badminton International 2021 in May.

"We have planned for the Paralympics and working according to the schedule," he said.

"The government has settled a camp for us as we returned. We are in the camp. The training schedule is planned as what we need to do step by step after discussing with the athletes," he added.

"In Spain, I'm especially going to understand (World No.2) Daniel Bethell's game and study it, after the long coronavirus break."

The tournament in Dubai worked as a confidence booster for Bhagat. Although the World Champion was nervous to return to the court following the Covid-19 break, his performance ensured that he has not lost touch.

He now believes that a gold at the Tokyo Paralympics is almost certainly within range for him.

"It was a very good tournament for me (Dubai Para-Badminton International 2021). Was a good BWF stage after Covid-19 which helped us boost. I had a good performance with a gold medal each in singles and doubles and even Paralympics will be good (I believe) as it was the first tournament of the year and after a year. I was a bit nervous about the result but played well. This medal will boost up (my confidence) as I started the year with gold and want to finish (at Paralympics) with the same.

"My 2019 was good, I started this year really well. I will definitely bring gold from the Tokyo Paralympics. I'm confident about that," the World No.1 said.

After returning from Dubai, Bhagat is currently quarantined and will join the national camp in Lucknow, in anticipation of the Tokyo Paralympics in the next two days. And the 32-year-old is in no mood to take the training session lightly in this crucial year.

"We will start our training session in the morning with fitness at 6 am. Then we practice with the coach. As we are in the Paralympics year, we can't afford to lose concentration or take the sessions for granted. We give our cent percent in training," Bhagat said.

"I feel like I'm totally prepared for the Paralympics and want to leave my mark with domination," he added.

With his current form, stitched with courage and confidence, Bhagat might go to the distance to add his first medal at the Paralympics.