BHAWANIPATNA: At the World Ability Sport Youth Games 2026 in the Turkish city of Mersin earlier this month, a young para-badminton player from Kalahandi district stood on the podium with the Tricolour draped over his shoulders and with a blade prosthetic leg.
Twenty-one-year-old Akash Ranjan Mund returned home with two gold medals and a silver from the prestigious event held from June 17 to 21, announcing his arrival on the global stage of para-badminton.
Competing in the SL3 category, Akash clinched gold in men’s singles and added another gold in mixed doubles SL3-SU5. He also secured silver in men’s doubles SL3-SU5 after a closely fought final, contributing significantly to India’s successful campaign at the youth games.
For Akash, the medals are merely the latest chapter in a journey that began in Bhawanipatna. Born on February 5, 2005 with a locomotor disability, Akash grew up in a family that refused to allow physical limitations define his future.
His late father, Goura Chandra Mund treated him like any other child, giving him the confidence and freedom to pursue his interests on his own terms. “They never made me feel limited,” he says. That support became the foundation of a sporting journey that would eventually take the youngster from Bhawanipatna to international badminton arenas.
But it was not easy, his congenital condition left him with just one functional leg and he initially used a walking prosthetic on his other to keep his passion for badminton going. “It was difficult. The prosthetic would lead to bleeding, cause pain,” he recalls his days as a school student.
Akash studied at Saraswati Shishu Vidya Mandir before moving to Narla’s Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, where his sporting abilities began to flourish. Today, he is pursuing a degree in Economics at KIIT University while balancing the demanding schedule of a professional athlete.
Much of the professional training started amidst Covid lockdown. With facilities closed, Akash used indoor facilities. From 2021, he began his professional training. Today, he has already established himself as one of Odisha’s finest para-badminton players. Currently ranked No 1 in the state, Akash is a two-time Odisha State Para-Badminton champion, having won the title in 2024 and 2025.
His achievements extend well beyond the state circuit. Akash emerged champion at the Navodaya Vidyalaya State Meet and represented Odisha at the Navodaya Regional Meet. He won bronze at the National Youth Para-Badminton Championship 2025 and has represented Odisha in three editions of the National Games in 2021, 2024 and 2026.
Akash says the journey of a para athlete is often marked by solitude. “As a para-badminton player, there are moments of loneliness. But I stand strongly with my hard work and my dreams of becoming a world champion and a Paralympic champion,” he says.
With the help of Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities department of the Odisha government, he got his first sports prosthetic in 2023 and got results. In the last one-and-half years, the Sports and Youth Services department has supported him with a blade prosthetic leg which has helped his game.
“Sports prosthetic are expensive; costing about `6-7 lakh but the government support has been handy. But they come with niggles, injuries and require change,” Akash says. He has, however, pressed ahead.
Internationally, the young shuttler has steadily built his credentials, representing India at the BWF Peru Para Badminton International 2025, the BWF Indonesia Para Badminton International 2024 and the BWF Uganda Para Badminton International 2025, where he won a bronze medal.
Today, he trains regularly with able-bodied players to improve his speed and sharpen his game. Based largely in Bhubaneswar, he hones his skills at the world-class facilities of Kalinga Stadium and has also trained and competed at events organised by the Udaan Sports Academy.
Now World Youth No 1, Akash’s next goal is to break into the top bracket in the seniors so that he can qualify for the Olympics. He has set his plans and training for seven to eight years. For the youngster from Kalahandi, the journey to Turkey may be complete. The journey to the Paralymics, however, has only just begun for the 21-year-old whose Instagram handle reads “one_leg_eagle”.