India’s contingent for the Paris 2024 Paralympics will be its largest ever, with a number of athletes making their Games debut. Among this group of relative newcomers, badminton player Krishna Nagar stands out as a seasoned competitor aiming to defend his gold medal from the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Nagar, who became India’s second Paralympic badminton gold medalist by defeating Hong Kong’s Chu Man Kai in the men’s singles SH6 event, has since added a silver medal from the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Para Games and a gold medal from the 2024 BWF Para Badminton World Championships. This impressive record makes him a strong contender for another gold in Paris.
Despite his success, Nagar is not taking his chances lightly. “The competition is bigger, there are a lot of players. The players are better, and the effort we put in will have to be double from before,” he shared during an online interview with Sportstar. He has implemented significant changes to his training regime in preparation for Paris: “The training for Paris is a lot better than before, and the training that is happening is in a better way, there are a few changes from before. Basically how to change the speed of the game, the way to change the pattern of the game. It’s a lot better than before.”
His preparations were initially hindered when his coach, Yadvendra Singh, was denied a visa. Nagar was eager to have Singh, who taught him the game, by his side in Paris. “Taking him to the Paralympics is very important for me, as all of the training I have done in my hometown, in the SMS stadium, I have done with him,” Nagar said. Fortunately, Singh has since received his visa, and Nagar will have his coach’s support at the Games.
Reflecting on the impact of his Tokyo win, Nagar states, “After Tokyo, my life has totally changed. People recognize me, there are a lot of changes. It’s a lot better. And financial issues have been resolved, it’s a lot better condition now.” Since December 2021, Nagar has been part of the Target Olympics Podium Schemes (TOPS) core group, which provides government support for athletes. “Being in the TOPS scheme is a big thing for the player. The TOPS scheme means you’re under the support of the government,” Nagar said. “If we need anything, we can just go directly and ask, or send them a mail. Whatever we need is available on time.”
India’s large contingent of 84 athletes for the Paralympics will offer Nagar a sense of camaraderie and support. “Everyone meets and stays together comfortably. If you meet someone, you can easily chat with them. It’s not like the athletics ones are going around together, the badminton ones are going around together, nothing like that. Everyone knows each other. It’s better, sometimes athletics ones give help, sometimes badminton ones give help.”
While India holds high expectations for Nagar’s performance, he remains grounded. His focus lies in maintaining composure and managing his emotions: “Many times it happens that when you are playing such a big tournament, it’s about how you can control yourself, your emotions, that becomes more important. When you come into such a big tournament, you have to stay a little calm and play.”
