World number 3 Sukant Kadam begins his quest in the BWF Para Badminton World Championship with plenty of reasons to perform.
Ranked No. 2 in the men’s singles SL-4 event, which begins tomorrow in Tokyo, Japan, the Pune-based commuter plans to improve his performance for the bronze medal he obtained in the last edition held in Basel, Switzerland in 2019.
“Personally, winning gold is the ultimate goal, but in a realistic understanding, making the final will be a step forward,” said Sukant, who will be contesting his third world championship. Previously, Sukant played in 2017 Ulsan, Korean Edition (quarter-finalist) and 2019.
In Tokyo, Sukant begins his round robin (group stage) in Group B alongside Hassan Mubiru (Uganda) and Vievan Thuong Nguyen (Vietnam) with an eye to the top and advances to the knockout round (main draw).
“I’m in good shape and trained really hard,” on his preparation for the upcoming challenge. Of his preparation, he says, “Training focused on consistency and improving defined skills was in order. I am ready to face any situation.
For Sukant, Tokyo, Japan had bittersweet memories and enough to push themselves to do well. Having competed in two tournaments in the past, the 2018 Japan Para Badminton International earned him a silver medal, while in the 2019 Paralympic event he was a quarter-finalist.
However, in the case of being so close and yet so far, 2020 was the year he missed playing on the biggest stage – the Olympics. Ranked No. 5 in the world and third behind Tarun Tarun and Suhas L Yethiraj, he lacked qualification. “Yeah, it’s like you win some and lose some and I think that moment has helped me prepare better for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games and the World Championship is where I’m looking to start a journey to make the Olympics a dream”.
With positive records already in place, which include entering the league with a high individual ranking (No. 2 vs. No. 3 both times earlier, the only challenge lies with world No. 1, defending champion Lucas Mazur (France) in the Land of the Rising Sun.
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