A few weeks ago, para-athlete Palak Kohli won six medals—two gold, two silver, and two bronze—across singles, doubles, and mixed doubles at the Spanish Para-Badminton International Level 1 and 2 tournaments. In a candid chat with RevSportz, the affable shuttler reflects on her journey—from taking up badminton to overcoming a bone tumour in her ankle and competing in two Paralympics. She also clinched bronze at the 2024 World Championships in Pattaya. Looking ahead, she is set to compete in the BWF Para-Badminton World Championships in France this August and the 2026 Para Asian Games.
Q: Can you elaborate on your outstanding performance in Spain, where you won six medals—two gold, two silver, and two bronze—while competing in back-to-back events?
A: It was a hectic but rewarding month with consecutive tournaments. In Spain, I competed in two events—Victoria and Toledo—before returning to India for the Khelo India Para Games. Balancing physical and mental challenges, I’m happy with my performance.
In Spain, I reached all three finals in the Level 1 event, winning one gold and two silvers, while in Level 2, I secured another gold and two bronze medals. Returning home, I became the Khelo India Para champion. Competing in three tournaments back-to-back, especially after an injury, was demanding but a great experience.
Q: How have your preparations been for these events?
I think the preparations have always been good, for all the events that we plan to participate in. We have our same training resume. There was a temperature difference, that it was more cold over there in Spain. Then coming back to India in Delhi in the summer conditions, so it’s a mixture of weather conditions. When you go to international tournaments, there’s a lot of things that you miss in your nutrition and food, being a vegetarian as well which is challenging.
Sometimes, before going on to the court, you’re feeling very good. But sometimes, the opposite also happens during your warm-ups, you’re not that much confident how the game will go and how your body, how your reach will work out. Sometimes, it also happens like when you are playing three finals, the first match doesn’t go the way you want it to, you have to recover, you have to quickly adapt to the situations, you have to quickly change your mind and forget about what has happened and to focus on the next match. It’s (a learning process) and it’s interesting. Sometimes, it’s tough to deal mentally but I think as soon as we accept it, we are able to perform better. So, I think it’s a rollercoaster of emotions and everything.
Q: You were the youngest Paralympian in your sport at the Tokyo Paralympics. What was that experience like?
A:
I think playing over there in the Tokyo Paralympics was definitely a feeling of happiness and a lot of excitement because para-badminton became part of Paralympics for the very first time in Tokyo. We all know that in para-badminton, we don’t have any age category. So, it has been lots of tournaments with a lot of experience and playing with athletes who are much elder than you, much more experienced than you. There were athletes who were playing the sport even before I was born. So, playing the event, gaining experience, many learnings from your elders and all around the sports arena… I think it was the best feeling. And finishing fourth in the mixed doubles and we lost that medal by a whisker.
I still remember it and the court where we played and how the atmosphere was and everything. But I think we need to forget about the losses and then again restart from zero and focus on new targets.
Q: How did you qualify for the Tokyo Paralympics?
A: Before the Tokyo Paralympics, I played my very first nationals in 2019, in Uttarakhand, where I became the national champion in girls singles and women’s doubles, and we were runners-up in mixed doubles. So, after that, I started my journey of international tournaments.
At that moment, I didn’t have any sponsors and there were a series of events for qualification for the Tokyo Paralympics. And at that moment, I missed a lot of tournaments because European countries’ tournaments were too expensive and it was too difficult to go to those tournaments. The flight fares and everything is very high in rates.
So, God made a plan for me which tournaments you’ll be going and which you will be skipping, and I got supported by Welspun at that moment, so we could plan which events to play. At the beginning of the year, I had no world ranking. We played tournaments and we qualified in women’s doubles. By the end of the cycle, we had 13 international tournaments to qualify for the Tokyo Paralympics, out of which the top six would be counted.
We became world number five in the race to the Paralympics rankings and we were able to make our qualification for the Tokyo Paralympics. Eventually with that, I automatically got my singles, and later with the slot, and everything we got in, I got an opportunity to play mixed doubles as well.
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Q: You also had to recover from a bone tumour in your ankle. Can you share what that phase was like, both physically and mentally?
A: During the Tokyo Paralympics and before that also, there was pain in my leg. We were already working on it by taking tests, working and pushing myself for three events which was also very tough. After the Tokyo Paralympics, we had Asian para-youth games in 2021 in Bahrain, where I won triple medals with one gold and two bronze medals.
When everything was going good and I was into the training and everything, suddenly we saw blood reports and certain parameters which were very high. I was suffering through the pain and other stuff and we went through the proper diagnosis and we got to know about the bone tumor. We visited multiple good doctors, orthopedics and other doctors in our country, and we got to know it was a bone tumor. We had to go for surgery. So, it’s been a very tough period because (at) that moment I was shattered.
I didn’t know what life was next for me and even the doctors could not assure me whether I would be able to make a comeback to a normal lifestyle or not. And to that of whether I will be able to play badminton because badminton requires a lot of agility, a lot of strength, stamina, lower-body endurance and everything. We need a lot of movements and a lot of speed and reach as well. I think that was the moment when I had to be mentally very strong and there were days where I doubted after the surgery
For a few months, when I could not step down from my bed, that would give me a little doubt in myself – till now I have not even started walking properly. How can I make a comeback to the elite level of the sport where I left it? It was tough, it was challenging. It was both physically, mentally. But I feel happy to have overcome those challenges, to make a comeback after one-and-a-half-year.
Q: How and when did you take up badminton as a sport?
A: Badminton came into my life by chance. I never imagined playing sports professionally, especially with a disability in my hand. I only realised I had a disability when I started interacting with people outside my home. It was in 2017 when I met Gaurav sir (Khanna) at a mall and learned about para-badminton. At that time, I didn’t know he was the national head coach.
After a discouraging experience during a handball trial, where I was advised to focus on studies, I decided to try badminton. I spoke to my parents, and we reached out to Gaurav sir, who saw potential in me. In 2018, I moved to Lucknow and began my journey in badminton.
Q: How was your support system, particularly your parents’ encouragement?
A: My parents have always been incredibly supportive. We have a joint family, and everyone backed my decisions. Initially, they didn’t take my interest in badminton seriously, thinking it would be a passing phase. But when I insisted and my father spoke to Gaurav sir, they fully supported me. Without hesitation, my father arranged for me to go to Lucknow. When I saw para-athletes from different states training, despite their disabilities, it gave me goosebumps. If they could do it, so could I. That moment was a turning point in my life, reshaping my priorities.
Q: Any words of encouragement for budding para-athletes?
A: To all the aspiring para-athletes, especially the girls, believe in yourself. If I can overcome challenges, so can you. It’s all about breaking the limits we set in our minds. Stay confident, pursue your dreams, and remember, the opportunities are endless when you truly believe in yourself. Everything will fall into place.
Q: How is Palak Kohli outside of badminton? Any hobbies?
A: Outside of badminton, I enjoy being creative with arts and crafts, organising things, and focusing on self-improvement. I love surrounding myself with small things that bring me happiness, like listening to music and enjoying the vibe.
Q: A few words on Welspun, which has supported you over a period of time?
Welspun has always been a great pillar of my support. In 2019, in my initial stages, when I was in my journey to of qualify for the Tokyo Para-Olympic Games, they started supporting me. They have not only been supporting me in my sporting career, but also in my education and other aspects as well.
The best thing about them is that in 2022 when I was diagnosed with bone tumor and when a lot of people doubted whether Palak will be able to make a comeback or not, Welspun was there as one of the strongest pillars to support me and they never had any doubt. They were always supporting me on my rehab activities on my strength and conditioning and everything that could help me to recover faster. I feel myself to be blessed to be a part of such a foundation which is supporting all the female athletes and to all the females across various fields.
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