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Lucknow para badminton player Abu Hubaida steps closer to Paris Paralympics
Abu Hubaida is a recipient of the Laxman Award, which is the highest recognition for a sportsperson in Uttar Pradesh.
Abu Hubaida, a para badminton athlete from Lucknow, won gold and silver medals for India at the Egypt Open Para Badminton International, despite suffering from an injury that required multiple stitches. The tournament is the third qualifying round for the Paris Paralympics to be held later this year.
Thirty-year-old Hubaidah was afflicted with polio at a very young age and regained mobility in one of his legs much later in life. He holds sixth rank in the world in the wheelchair-2 category in men’s doubles and first rank in India. He has also been the recipient of the Laxman Award, which is the highest recognition for a sportsperson in Uttar Pradesh.
Just twelve hours before the finals of the Egypt Open Para Badminton games, Hubaida unexpectedly collapsed in his hotel, injuring his left arm. However, despite having ten stitches on his left forearm he soldiered on, to play in both the singles and doubles finals.
Despite, having lost the gold but securing silver in the singles finals, Hubaida and his partner Prem Aale won gold by emerging victors in the doubles finals. The game lasted 45 minutes and went into three sets, during which Hubaida played with a bandaged arm while sitting in a wheelchair.
“The pain was more intense during the singles final, but I had grown accustomed to it by the time the doubles final came around,” shared Hubaida, adding “And the motivation from my partner Prem Aale also helped boost my enthusiasm.”
Since his first gold medal in 2015, he continued to fulfil his childhood dream of bringing home sports medals. Moreover, these have brought the badminton champion closer to qualifying for the Summer Paralympics in Paris this year, which would be his first Olympic competition. The Para badminton team from India won 31 medals at the Egypt Open Para Badminton International Games.
