Paralympic champion Krishna Nagar trains his sights on Paris 2024 qualification Premium

Krishna Nagar created history by becoming only the second player from India to win Paralympic gold in the racquet sport after Pramod Bhagat in Tokyo. The 4’5” Nagar trained under coach Yadvendra Singh, and his journey as a para-athlete began with two gold medals (in both singles and doubles) at the 2018 Nationals in Varanasi.

For Krishna Nagar, home is where the heart is. The para-badminton player is required to travel for national camps, but Jaipur is his happy place.

Nagar was born in Rajasthan’s capital in 1999 and has been living in Pratap Nagar, one of the largest residential areas in the city, ever since. “I am very lucky. I am still in touch with my childhood friends, and we all are there for each other,” he says.

The creation of Nagar, the Paralympic champion, began from there.

“At first, I didn’t play badminton professionally. I watched, picked up things quickly and then tried them in a court in our garden against my friends. Towards the end of 2016, I started going to the Sawai Mansingh Stadium to play to stay fit and active,” he says.

Nagar, who was diagnosed with dwarfism at the age of two, adds, “Few days after joining the stadium, I got to know about para-badminton through another para shuttler who was in town for a few days.”

The 4’5” Nagar trained under coach Yadvendra Singh, and his journey as a para-athlete began with two gold medals (in both singles and doubles) at the 2018 Nationals in Varanasi.

Three years later, under the tutelage of head coach of the Indian para-badminton team and Dronacharya awardee Gaurav Khanna, the then World No. 2 created history by becoming only the second player from the country to win Paralympic gold in the racquet sport after Pramod Bhagat in Tokyo.