Indian badminton player Krishna Nagar on Sunday said Sunday's gold medal at the Paralympics was nothing short of a blessing as he was over the moon for just being able to compete in the Games.
Nagar defeated Hong Kong's Chu Man Kai 21-17 16-21 21-17 in the men's singles SH6 class final to claim the second gold medal in badminton after Pramod Bhagat. Nagar's disability classification if for players of short stature.
"Olympics or Paralympic medal is a huge thing. We committed that we will win 5-6 medals and we have won 4 medals. One or two performances was little up and down but we will improve on that front in upcoming events," the 22-year-old said.
"Competing is a big achievement in Paralympics and we won a medal in the first edition itself. We are blessed, it is a great achievement."
Talking about the match, Nagar said: "My mindset was that I have to be positive... I didn't make many errors during the match but in the second game, when there were some negatives, I was under pressure when things got away a bit.
"For drift, I lost the second game, I was not able to play to my strength. But in the third game, there were ups and downs but I managed it well in the end."
Asked about his future plans, Suhas said: "I just want to live this moment and don't want to think about anything. It is a rare moment to get a Paralympic medal and I truly believe if the universe has given me so much, rest will also be good."
Krishna had earlier said he wants to bring smiles to his countrymen by winning a medal at Paralympics.
Asked if he wants to dedicate it to the COVID19 warriors, Krishna said: "During COVID, the doctors, volunteers and all others have worked relentlessly for us in the last 2 years, saving us from COVID.
"They have supported us so much in 2020. All over the world, doctors have shown us how to be alert."
