‘It’s always been our dream to play in the Paralympics,’ say Palak Kohli and Parul Parmar

‘It’s always been our dream to play in the Paralympics,’ say Palak Kohli and Parul Parmar

Palak Kohli and Parul Parmar

Palak Kohli and Parul Parmar recently became the first para-badminton players in the country to qualify for the Paralympics. The duo will represent India at the Tokyo Paralympics 2021 scheduled in August.

Kohli (18) and Parmar (48) will compete in the SL3-SU5 women’s doubles event in badminton. The former also awaits her call for the SU5 women’s singles category where she’s currently placed at No. 11 in the world rankings.

The world No. 6 pair is currently training at the nation’s first professional para-badminton academy, Gaurav Khanna Excellia Badminton Academy in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

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Palak Kohli expressed her gratitude for clearing the first obstacle to getting a Paralympics medal. In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Kohli mentioned that the duo continued training under Gaurav Khanna during the pandemic as well. Later, she thanked her coach for being her mentor and always guiding her.  

“We received the official communication last week and I am ecstatic to hear the news. We were expecting to make the cut. We have been pushing ourselves and training hard. Even during the pandemic, we continued to train under the guidance of Gaurav Khanna Sir and were never deterred from our focus and I am really grateful that we have been able to clear the first obstacle to getting a Paralympics medal.” said Palak Kohli, who started playing badminton in 2017.

“Whatever we are today it is only because of Gaurav Khanna Sir. We both owe him. He is a guiding force for us. For both of us, he is a mentor. Every day he guides us and tries to make us better. Sometimes we have two sessions and sometimes we have three sessions. He believes in us and inspires us to give our best every day.” Palak Kohli said.

‘We are aiming for a podium finish in Tokyo Paralympics’: Parmar

Palak Kohli and Parul Parmar
Palak Kohli and Parul Parmar

Palak’s senior partner, Parul Parmar said that it has always been their dream to play in the Paralympics. The Gujarat athlete expressed her excitement on receiving the news of their qualification from the Badminton World Federation (BWF).

“It has always been our dream to play in the Paralympics. We have been working hard for the last couple of years to realize our goal. There were several challenges and obstacles along the way but we are glad we have managed to overcome those tests. We have to now set our targets at the podium and devote all our energy in the upcoming days to achieve the goals. We should make it count with a medal.” said Parul Parmar.

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Also Read | Indian para badminton pair Palak Kohli and Parul Parmar qualify for Tokyo Paralympics