Para badminton player Pramod Bhagat, who is the world's top ranked player in his category, won the gold medal in the men's singles (SL3) event at the Tokyo Paralympics on Saturday. Bhagat beat Great Britain's Daniel Bethell 21-14, 21-17 in the final. It was India's fourth gold medal at the ongoing Games, and the second on Saturday. Manoj Sarkar joined him on the podium, after he beat Japan's Daisuke Fujihara to take home the bronze medal. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated both the shuttlers after their medal-winning heroics.
"Pramod Bhagat has won the hearts of the entire nation. He is a Champion, whose success will motivate millions," PM Modi tweeted. "He showed remarkable resilience & determination. Congratulations to him for winning the Gold in Badminton."
"Overjoyed by @manojsarkar07's wonderful performance. Congrats to him for bringing home the prestigious Bronze Medal in badminton," PM Modi wrote in another tweet.
Sports Minister Anurag Thakur also congratulated Pramod Bhagat.
"A remarkable achievement! The 4 time BWF Champion adds a #Paralympics Gold to his name," he wrote.
"So amazing and satisfying moment for all of us. Congratulations," star boxer MC Mary Kom tweeted, sharing a video of Bhagat's winning moment.
Former Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju also congratulated the 33-year-old.
India's medal tally at the Paralympics, going into the final day of the competition, stands at 17 - smashing the country's previous best haul of four medals which came in Rio 2016.