rom Jaipur, Krishna Nagar overcame bullying and a peak drawback to win gold in para-badminton on the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Regardless of going through private tragedies, right here’s how he stays centered on defending his title on the Paris 2024 Paralympic Video games.
Krishna Nagar had a dream since childhood — to boost India’s flag excessive on the Paralympics. In doing so, he would fulfil his father Sunil Nagar’s dream, a sportsman who couldn’t proceed his pursuit resulting from private causes.
Krishna made each his father and nation proud when he received gold on the Tokyo Paralympics, changing into solely the second Indian to attain this in badminton.
Born in Jaipur, Krishna was recognized with dwarfism on the age of two. Confronted with the dangers of therapy for his development impairment, his father Sunil launched him to varied sports activities, unaware that this could develop into a game-changer for Krishna.
From a younger age, Krishna performed cricket, soccer, and volleyball, and even tried the lengthy leap, believing that sports activities would possibly assist him develop taller. He shared that collaborating in athletics considerably improved his explosive energy.
Sports activities turned an escape for Krishna, offering refuge from the taunts and bullying he endured resulting from his peak of 4 ft 7 inches. The bullying continued into faculty and on the sports activities subject, affecting him so deeply that he deserted his favorite sports activities like cricket and volleyball, retreating into himself.
“There have been individuals who stated I’d not have the ability to do something in life,” Krishna instructed The Bridge.
Unable to look at his son develop into a shadow of his former self, Sunil enrolled Krishna in a badminton academy in Jaipur.
“The bullying modified my son’s life, and he’s now a Paralympic gold medallist. It motivated him to show his detractors incorrect and he did that in fashion by successful gold,” Sunil instructed The New Indian Specific.
Two pivotal issues occurred throughout this time: Krishna made peace together with his peak and found para-badminton. When Krishna’s coach defined that there was a class in para-badminton that allowed for worldwide competitors, it was a game-changer for him. Since then, he has by no means seemed again.
He started coaching beneath Gaurav Khanna, the top coach of the Indian para-badminton crew and a Dronacharya awardee.
He started competing internationally, incomes a bronze medal on the 2018 Asian Para Video games and the World Para Badminton Championships in 2019. His defining second got here with successful the gold medal within the males’s singles SH6 class on the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
Talking about dealing with nerves at such big-stakes competitions, he instructed Sportstar that it’s about being calm. “Many occasions it occurs that if you end up taking part in such a giant event, it’s about how one can management your self, your feelings; that turns into extra necessary. While you come into such a giant event, you must keep a bit calm and play,” he stated.
Because the nation celebrated his triumph, he confronted a significant blow when his mom handed away six months after his victory. “There have been too many hurdles after her passing away. She was my all the things. However then my psychological scenario worsened after her demise. I sunk into darkness,” he instructed The Indian Specific.
His pals and badminton helped pull him away from the darkish place. He determined to do his greatest and began engaged on defending his Paralympic gold in Paris.
All eyes are on Krishna as we sit up for a possible repeat of his Tokyo success in Paris.
Edited by Pranita Bhat
Sources
‘Paris 2024: With one eye on defending Paralympics title, Krishna Nagar banks on tight-knit Indian contingent for assist’ by Aditya Padinjat, Printed on 24 August 2024, Courtesy Sportstar
‘As soon as bullied for brief stature, Krishna Nagar wins gold in males’s badminton singles at Tokyo Paralympics’ Printed on 6 September 2021, Courtesy The New Indian Specific
