Manoj Sarkar, an Indian shuttler won bronze at the Tokyo Paralympics. He claimed the medal in men’s singles SL3 category after defeating Japan’s Daisuke Fujihara. Manoj Sarkar is world no. 1 para-badminton player in men’s singles SL3 classification.
Manoj’s condition arose out of wrongful medical treatment at the age of one. He suffers from a PPRP Lower Limb condition. He started playing badminton by buying a second-hand racquet. He had earned money as a kid to buy badminton equipment.
He said that before the Paralympics, “I used to stay in a joint family then and had three cousins almost similar to my age. Once, someone bought a badminton racquet for them, but not for me. I felt very bad and cried a lot. My mother felt bad and gave me 10 rupees, using which I bought a small second-hand racquet for myself.”
Sarkha has become the first Paralympic medalist from the state of Uttarakhand.
Manoj has won numerous accolades in the International circuit including a Men’s Singles Silver at the Thailand Para-Badminton International 2017, a gold at the Uganda Para-Badminton International 2017, a silver at the Irish Para-Badminton International 2016 and a Gold in the men’s doubles event at the BWF Para-Badminton World Championships 2015. He also won a gold medal at the Turkish Para-badminton International Championship in May 2018.