Shuttler Krishna Nagar keen to stay calm in bid to retain gold medal

Krishna Nagar during the Tokyo Paralympics. Pic/Getty Images

Life has consistently thrown challenges at Krishna Nagar, but the Indian para shuttler knows how to take them in stride and emerge victorious.

When he was bullied during his childhood for his short stature, Krishna responded with his achievements. He refused to let dwarfism hinder his progress. Despite financial struggles in his early years, he explored various sports, including cricket, football, volleyball, long jump, and sprints. His journey in badminton began in late 2017 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.

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As he prepares to defend his title, the 25-year-old from Jaipur is focusing on maintaining composure and playing it safe to replicate his success when he takes court at the Paris Games. "This is my second Paralympics, and there is some nervousness because it's a big tournament," Krishna, who competes in the SH6 category, said. The SH6 category is for short stature athletes, who compete standing. He made history at the Tokyo Paralympics by becoming only the second Indian, after Pramod Bhagat, to win a gold medal, making his Games debut memorable. "It's a dream to participate in such a prestigious event. I feel blessed to have another chance at the Paralympics. My aim is to defend my gold medal and live up to the expectations," he said.

Standing at about 4 feet 6 inches, Krishna is one of 13 Indian para badminton players set to compete in Paris. Life was not easy for him even after the Tokyo success. If an injury threatened to thwart his progress, losing his mother was tougher. However, the strong-willed athlete has wants to rise again. Talking about his preparations, he said, "I twisted my ankle after the Tokyo Paralympics and faced some other issues, but now everything is fine." Krishna, who trains under coach Yadvendra Singh in Jaipur, secured his first para World Championship title in February this year in Thailand, defeating China's Lin Naili in the final.

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