Wheelchair, willpower, world medal: Para-shuttler Prem Kumar turns second chance into history

Reaching the para-world’s final was also emotional because the Indian duo beat current World No 1s in this category, Jaime Aranguiz of Chile and Man Kei To of Belgium. They had lost to the pair earlier. “That used to hurt, but we went to Bahrain this time, determined to defeat them and not repeat mistakes from before. Our communication was much better, and we managed to make them move a lot as a strategy. Our mistakes were fewer,” says the 38-year-old, who now lives and trains at the Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centre in Pune.

The silver encourages Prem Kumar to try harder to aim for gold next. (Image via special arrangement)

His T12 level spinal injury wasn’t merely a loss of limb function, but for the proud Gorkha, a loss of his independence too. And his choice of settling on badminton as a sport was down to this stifling he felt when he had to depend on others to continue in other para-sports.

While recovering from his injuries, Prem Kumar was inspired by a senior officer, who, despite his second hospitalisation post an accident, continued to be gung-ho about sport. Prem Kumar followed in wheelchair marathons. He would compete in Pune, Mumbai and even Bangalore. A recreational volleyball player when young, he would take up athletics, swimming and basketball.

“I really love basketball still, it’s very fast and exciting, and I like playing in a team. But you need others for that. Even swimming I used to compete till state level, but I needed too much help from others. That dependence used to make me sad. When I played badminton, I felt happy. I would win by my own effort, lose due to my own mistakes. Ismein aise ghuusa ki peechhe waapis nai dekha,” he says. He loved it so much, he never looked back. However, he still plays wheelchair basketball for fitness.

What had him smitten by badminton was the microsecond decisions on shot-making that made the sport so exciting. “I’ve put in 12 years into this, and I was sick of winning just bronzes. My partner really encouraged me, and finally I have this World’s medal,” he says.

Prem Kumar said that he and Alphia worked on their communication this time which went a long way in them winning the medal. (Image via special arrangement)

The many-time national champion in singles had found the world medal elusive. His partner, Alphia, has a WH2 disability, a slightly lower level of impediment than his WH1. “Actually, our mistakes earlier were due to communication. This time, we decided to work on it. She works in Dubai, so I’d travel there and, at times, she travelled here. It was important to beat the No 1s, or I’d have lost my confidence,” he says, reassured by the win, which encourages him to try harder to aim for gold next, after they went down in a tight final to Chinese Qu Zimo and Liu Yutong.

While the mental challenges of a wheelchair-bound life suddenly from very active duty were immense, other equipment troubles had initially worried him. “I modified my wheelchair initially, but then the Army and the Paraplegic centre stepped in, and gave me a branded wheelchair with the latest tech,” he says, adding the mindset prepared in the forces anyway gave him a strong temperament. “War mein kuchh keh nai sakte kab goli lagegi, kab khana milega (In war, you can’t predict when you’ll be shot, or when you’ll get food),” he says about being trained to be resilient.

With badminton, he now also has wings to fly. “For the longest time, I used to be a big fan of (Malaysian legend) Lee Chong Wei and how he played. I read about everything he overcame. This medal means a lot because I realised in this sport, I control my own destiny,” he says, gleeful and jubilant.