Young Indian athlete Palak Kohli said the disappointment of the Tokyo Games has increased her yearning for success and her only goal is to return with a gold medal from the Paris Paralympics in two years.
The youngest badminton player to qualify for the Paralympics at the age of 18, Kohli is currently competing at the 2nd International Para Badminton Championships in Vitoria.
She qualified in all three formats: singles, women’s doubles (Parul Parmar) and mixed doubles (Pramud Bhagat) at the Tokyo Games, but failed to return with a medal.
“Playing in Tokyo was a great experience. There are no age standards in badminton. So being the youngest player to qualify for three events was a blessing because I was able to meet all three events,” Kohli, whose left arm has been underdeveloped since birth. saying PTI.
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“There was a lot of disappointment after losing the mixed bronze in Tokyo after getting close to him, but it also made me more hungry because I live for that goal, a goal for Paris. I don’t want to settle for anything less than gold. .»
Kohli, who was signed by Adidas in their “Impossible Is Nothing” campaign, is currently focused on the Spanish Open, where she is second in SU 5 women’s singles pool B.
She and Bhagat lead Group C in the mixed doubles SL3-SU 5 with two wins. She also forms a top-seeded pairing with Parmar in the women’s doubles SL3-SU5 and won her first match in Pool A.
Kohli, who has used his post-Olympic time to recover from bone marrow edema in his left tibia, a harrowing injury he was first diagnosed with in 2019.
“But the World Championships and the Asian Games are the main events that I am looking forward to this year. My long-term goals remain 2024 in Paris, 2028 and the 2032 Olympics », he said.
Kohli has joined adidas’ elite club of female strength athletes, including Mirabai Chanu, Lovlina Borgohin, Hema Das, Nikat Zarin and many more.
