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Parul Parmar, a former world para badminton champion, will be leading the charge for the Indian contingent at the 2021 Paralympics. At the age of 48, the Gandhinagar native is the most experienced member of the team and a definite medal hopeful.
Parmar will be participating in the women's singles SL3 and women's doubles SL3-SU5. With sporting action at the Paralympics scheduled to begin on August 25, now is the perfect time to get to know the athletes better. On that note, here are five relatively unknown facts about the Indian trailblazer.
#1 Parul Parmar started playing badminton as part of rehab
Parul Parmar was diagnosed with poliomyelitis at the young age of three. She had an accident later that year and was forced to wear an orthopedic cast for a long period.
All of the factors combined caused Parmar's leg to become stunted. When her doctor recommended exercise as part of rehabilitation, her parents decided to introduce her to badminton. Parmar's father was a national-level player in the sport himself. The youngster began accompanying him to his club at the insistence of her mother and there has been no looking back since.
#2 Parul Parmar is the current world no. 1 in SL3 category
Parul Parmar is currently ranked no. 1 in the Badminton World Federation's (BWF) rankings in the SL3 category.
The 48-year-old has racked up quite a few ranking points over the course of her long and illustrious career. She sits atop the rankings with a comfortable lead over compatriot Manasi Joshi and Turkey's Halime Yildiz. Parmar will also be one of the favorites to win a medal at the Paralympics.
#3 Parul Parmar is an icon amongst young para athletes
Parul Parmar has been playing badminton for quite some time now and her triumphs on the world stage have inspired a whole new generation of young para athletes.
Playing at the 2019 Para-Badminton World Championships, she shared a room with compatriot Manasi Joshi, who is ten years her junior. Parmar held a dominant head-to-head against Joshi, but it was the younger of the two women who took the title by defeating Parmar in the summit clash.
Joshi was quick to highlight Parmar's contribution to para-badminton in India and described her as a role model. Another youngster who looks up to Parmar is the 19-year-old Palak Kohli, who will be partnering the veteran in doubles at the Paralympics.
#4 Parul Parmar once called winning the Arjuna Award the most special moment of her career
Parul Parmar has won multiple medals at the Para-Asian Games and the World Championships, but for the 48-year-old, the most special moment of her career came in 2009, when she won the Arjuna Award, India's second-highest sporting honor.
Parmar dedicated the award to her parents and siblings, saying that she might be the one winning the titles on the court, but none of it would have been possible without the support of her family.
#5 Parul Parmar has had to wait a long time for her shot at a Paralympic medal
Badminton will be making its long-awaited debut at the Paralympics in this edition, ending the agony for hundreds of the sport's medal hopefuls like Parul Parmar.
For the 48-year-old, playing in Tokyo is nothing short of a dream come true. Parmar says that she would wait for badminton's inclusion before every edition of the Paralympics.
"It has always been a dream to play in the Paralympics. There were several challenges and obstacles along the way," Parmar said. "We have to now set our targets and devote all our energy to achieve our goals. We should make the opportunity count."
Ever since ensuring her qualification for Tokyo, Parmar has dedicated her time to training. She camped in Lucknow with her team during the COVID-19 lockdown and has been focussing on her game and physical fitness.
It has been a long road leading up to Tokyo for Parmar, but she is looking set for Paralympic glory.
