Para Shuttler Manoj Sarkar wins silver at 4th National Para Badminton Championship

2021 Paralympic bronze medalist Manoj Sarkar suffered defeat at the hands of World No. 7 Nitesh Kumar at the 4th National Para-Badminton Championship.

Manoj lost to Nitesh with a 23-21, 20-22 21-11 scoreline in a match that lasted nearly 50 minutes to end up with a silver medal.

Manoj has been in terrific form ever since winning the bronze medal in Tokyo earlier this year. Manoj also bagged a gold medal at Uganda Para-Badminton International in Kampala by defeating compatriot Pramod Bhagat.

Meanwhile, Pramod Bhagat went down fighting a thrilling encounter against Haryana's Nitesh Kumar in the men's singles SL 3 category match. Pramod lost to Nitesh with a 17-21, 19-21 scoreline in the semifinals.

Paralympic gold medallist Krishna Nagar ended his campaign at the 4th National Para-Badminton Championship with three gold medals in the SH6 category.

Meanwhile, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also felicitated the para-badminton players who clinched medals at the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics. He also extended his best wishes to the shuttlers who were competing at the 4th National Para-Badminton Championship.

"Indian Paralympians performance in Tokyo has changed mindsets" - Manoj Sarkar

The Indian contingent returned with 19 medals after a successful outing at the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics.

Para Badminton Player and Paralympic bronze medallist Manoj Sarkar also has a similar viewpoint. The Indian para-shuttler felt that the entire nation started to view the para-athletes in a positive light following a remarkable show in Tokyo.

He further added that the bronze medal is no less than a gold, because winning a medal for India at Paralympics is a huge achievement. He concluded by saying that he is aiming for gold in 2024 Paris.

"After my bronze medal, the vision of the countrymen has changed towards the specially-abled person. People used to call us 'persons with disability but now everyone calls us 'person with super ability and this is a big change. Now more and more parents are recognizing talents in their children despite them being specially-abled and this is a big achievement for us as a country," said Manoj Sarkar told ANI.