Pramod Bhagat made Odisha proud yet again, winning gold medal in men’s singles SL3 event of the 2nd Fazza Dubai Para-Badminton International 2019, which was held Shabab Al Ahly Sports Club in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 2nd to 7th April, 2019.

World No 1 Bhagat clinched the title when he came from behind to beat England opponent Daniel Bethell in the final 15-21, 21-18, 21-13. In the singles event, Bhagat won all the seven matches he played including three in Group-A league.

Bhagat also competed in men’s doubles SL3-SL4 and and mixed doubles SL3-SU5 events with Manoj Sarkar and Palak Kohli respectively as partners. But a medal doubles events eluded the Odisha shuttler.

A total of 280 para shuttlers from 39 countries participated in the tournament. India fielded the largest contingent of 40 players, including three from Odisha. Other two Odisha para shuttlers were Dileswar Rao and Ranjan Bisoi.

PERFORMANCE OF PRAMOD BHAGAT:
Group-A League: Beat Prakash Stephen 21-14, 21-11; beat Dwiyoko Dwiyoko (Indonesia) 21-12, 21-16; beat Taku Hiroi (Japan) 21-18, 21-16.
Main Draw: Beat Kumar Nitesh (India) 24-22, 19-21, 21-14 in 1st round; beat Umesh Vikram Kumar (India) 21-17, 21-14 in quarterfinals; beat Chen Xiaoyu (China) 21-14, 21-17 in semifinals; beat Daniel Bethell (England) 15-21, 21-18, 21-13 in final.
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PHOTO: Pramod Bhagat with his singles gold medal and mememoto in Dubai on 7th April, 2019.