Odisha para shuttlers Pramod Bhagat and G Dillaswar Rao won a total of three medals for India at the Brazil Para Badminton International in Sao Paulo, Brazil on 16 April 2023. The three medals were consisted of one gold, one silver and one bronze.

Paralympic and World champion Bhagat bagged the gold in mens doubles SL3-SL4 category with Sukant Kadam of Maharashtra as his partner. Bhagat and Kadam beat South Korean pair of Joo Dongjae and Shin Kyung Hwan in the keenly-contested final 22-20, 21-19.

However, Bhagat settled for silver medal in mens singles SL3 category after losing to Indian opponent Nitesh Kumar in final 12-21, 13-21. Earlier in the semifinals, Bhagat came from behind to beat Daisuke Fujihara of Japan 19-21, 21-19, 21-12.

Dillaswar Rao claimed the bronze medal in mens doubles SL3-SL4 category by reaching semifinals with Tamil Nadu partner Naveen Sivakumar. Howver, the Indian duo was defeated in the semifinals by Korean combination of Joo Dongjae and Shin Kyung Hwan 21-12, 21-15.

Bhagat also competed in mixed doubles SL3-SU-5 category with Manisha Ramadass as his partner. But the Odisha-Tamil Nadu combination bowed out in the quarterfinals, losing to Indonesian opponents Hikmat Ramdani and Leani Ratri Oktila 14-21, 12-21.

Brazil Para Badminton International was a Badminton World Federation (BWF) Level-2 tournament. The Indian squad bagged a total of 24 medals, which included six gold, seven silver and 11 bronze. Bhagat and Rao participated in this tournament, accompanied by their coach Shiba Prasad Das.
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PHOTO: Odisha medal winners Pramod Bhagat (Right), G Dillawar Rao (Left) pose with their coach Shiba Prasad Das at the Brazil Para Badminton International in Sao Paulo on 16 April 2023.