"I never thought I'd lose": Pramod Bhagat's journey to his second Asiad gold

Pramod Bhagat has been a trailblazer in the world of para-badminton, clinching multiple Asiad medals and a historic gold at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. Hailing from Bihar, the shuttler broke down the mentality that got him where he is in an interview with ESPN.

Going into the Asian Para Games at Hangzhou, Pramod was one of the favorites to clinch the gold in the men's singles SL3 category. On finals day, the battle was intense, but the 35-year-old fought hard to cover a five-point deficit in the third set, before emerging victorious with his second Asiad gold.

Detailing what went on in his brain in those crucial moments, Pramod Bhagat said:

"I never thought I'd lose, not at any point. Of course, at the Asiad I thought that this lead is big, that anything can happen, but [Nitesh] made a couple of mistakes and then I was sure that I will win."

For Bhagat, the confidence that he was going to be the one on top of the podium stems from his deep-seated belief that he is the best.

"I know I'm better than everyone else, I truly believe it. This is from the start... since I started playing in my childhood. Even then I thought I was the best. My papa (father) used to say, 'you're the most special, you're the strongest, what you can do no one else can', and it's something I still think,'' he says.

This never-say-never attitude combined with his resolve to always look on the positive side of things has made the Bihari one of the most successful Indian shuttlers to grace the court. Recounting when he slightly twisted his ankle before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Pramod Bhagat was sure that this small dose of the negative was only a sign of the good things to come.

"I just thought that before something very good happens, something a little bad should happen - and now that my ankle twisted, I was definitely going to win."

Pramod Bhagat on India's rapidly growing badminton scene

Pramod Bhagat first broke onto the international scene back in 2006, and a lot has changed in these past 17 years, for both the shuttler and the sport.

When Bhagat became the youngest world champion in 2009, the first of his six world championships golds, he expected to be met with a grand welcome, but the reality ended up being quite different.

Compare that to his return from the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, it's easy to see what he means when he says "zameen-aasmaan ka farak hain" (between 2009 and 2023).

"When I became the youngest world champion in 2009, I had hoped that when we return to India from South Korea, we will be felicitated and that there'll be lots of public waiting to greet us; lots of such thoughts ran through my mind."

But when we landed, we had our [association] officials greet us with a plate as a felicitation and that's it... look at the state of it today. Government officials and fans come to greet us at the airport, we meet ministers, we met the Prime Minister, [Odisha state athletes] met the Odisha Chief Minister."

Not only has this drastic rise in popularity resulted in multiplied opportunities, but it also comes with more respect and admiration for shuttlers like him.

"When I started out, we didn't even have cash awards. We used to play outdoors on cement courts when I started out... This is like an overview of the changes, but there's a lot more that's happened. Like now they don't ask 'are you a para-athlete? Oh ho!' they just say 'oh, you're a sportsperson, great.'"

As of now, Pramod Bhagat already has his next target locked in - to defend his title at the Paris Olympics. But before he dives back into practice, the shuttler plans to take a moment to enjoy his Asiad success.