MUMBAI: Unseeded para shuttler, Sukant Kadam, upset the form book by clinching the singles and doubles bronze medals in the recently-concluded Spanish Para-Badminton International 2017 held at Pabellón Municipal Alcudia, Majorca, Spain.
The 24-year-old shuttler, trainee at the badminton academy run by former national singles badminton champion Nikhil Kanetkar in Pune and handicapped with disability in the left leg, won the singles and doubles bronze medals in the 'SL 4' class of the event, said a media release today.
"My target was the gold in this competition, but once the draws were out I realised the going was going to be tough as I had the top seed in my path," said Kadam. Playing his first tournament of the year Kadam ended his campaign by losing to the towering top-seed Lucas Mazur (France) 15-21 10-21 in the singles semis.
In doubles, the Sangli-born player and compatriot Umesh Vikram Kumar went down fighting to the second seeded English pair Daniel Bethell and Bobby Griffin 17-21 21-13 21-13. In the four-player group stage in singles he topped his group with an all-win record that included the scalp of third seed Raul Anguiano (Guatemala) whom he beat 21-17 22-10.
Success in Spain is the third for Kadam in international competitions. Earlier, he won a singles bronze at the Ireland Para Badminton International 2016 and thereafter a doubles bronze in the Asian Championship in China held in November 2016, the release added.