Manoj Sarkar is an Indian Paralympian who plays badminton in SL-3 Classification. He clinched a bronze medal in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics after defeating his opponent Daisuke Fujihara of Japan in the men’s singles category. He claimed a silver medal in The Badminton World Federation (BWF) Para-Badminton World Championships in 2017. He also gets support from the GoSports Foundation of India through the Para Champions Programme.
Table of Contents
Wiki/Biography
Manoj Sarkar was born on Friday, 12 January 1990 (age 31 years; as of 2021) in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand, India. His zodiac sign is Capricorn.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 6″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
His father’s name is Maninder Sarkar, and he died in 2017. His mother’s name is Jamuna Sarkar. Manoj has two siblings.
Manoj Sarkar with his siblings
Wife & Children
Manoj Sarkar got married to Sona Varman on 7th December 2020.
Manoj Sarkar on his wedding day
Career
Manoj participated in three state-level competitions as a general player till class tenth. In class 11th, he also participated in inter-school competitions against able-bodied players. Once, his match was viewed by DK Sen, a former Indian badminton player, who advised Manoj to participate in para-badminton championships after observing him playing well. In 2011, he started participating in para-badminton championships. In 2011, he participated in badminton national championships in Bangalore and clinched two medals. In a conversation with the media house, the Bridge, Manoj revealed,
I was selected for the World Championships after this performance, but we could not go as we did not have sponsors. Then in 2012, I went with my own money. My mother put our house on a mortgage so that I could follow my dream, even though she was a cancer patient. The Go Sports Foundation helped me out as well then; I am still grateful to them and am proud that I am still associated with them. This is how my journey in international para-badminton started, and I have won around 47 medals now at the highest level. It has been a long journey, and now I am part of the first-ever Paralympics badminton contingent from India.”
He won a gold medal in the men’s doubles event at the BWF Para-Badminton World Championships in 2015. Manoj won a silver medal in the Irish Para-Badminton International championships in 2016. At the Thailand Para-Badminton International, in Men’s Singles, he clinched a silver medal in 2017. Around the same year, at the Uganda Para-Badminton International, he claimed a gold medal. At the Turkish Para-badminton International Championships, he won a gold medal in 2018.
Medals
Paralympic Games
2020: Bronze medal in Men’s Singles at Tokyo
World Championships
2013: Gold medal in Men’s Double’s SL3 at Dortmund
2015: Gold medal in Men’s Doubles SL3-SL4 at Stoke Mandeville
2019: Gold medal in Men’s Doubles SL3-SL4 at Basel
2017: Silver medal in Men’s Singles SL3 at Ulsan
2013: Bronze medal in Mixed Doubles SL3-SU5 at Dortmund
2015: Bronze medal in Men’s Singles SL3 at Stoke Mandeville
2019: Bronze medal in Men’s Singles SL3 at Basel
Asian Para Games
2014: Silver medal in Men’s Singles SL3 at Incheon
2018: Bronze medal in Men’s Singles SL3 at Jakarta
2018: Bronze medal in Men’s Doubles SL3-SL4 at Jakarta
Asian Para-Badminton Championships
2016: Gold medal in Men’s Singles SL3 at Beijing
2016: Bronze medal in Men’s Doubles SL3-SL4 at Beijing
Facts/Trivia
Manoj follows a non-vegetarian diet.
A picture Instagrammed by Manoj Sarkar while preparing fish
Manoj Sarkar’s disability class is SL-3 Post-polio residual paralysis (PPRP Lower Limb condition).
When Manoj Sarkar was one year old, he suffered from a Post-polio residual paralysis of the lower limb after a wrong treatment was given to him by mistake.
At the age of five, Manoj began playing badminton at home. In a conversation with the Bridge media house, Manoj explained his childhood memories when he purchased a second-hand racquet of Rs. 10. He stated,
I used to stay in a joint family then and had three cousins of almost similar to my age. Once, someone bought badminton racquets for them, but not for me. I felt very bad and cried a lot. My mother felt bad and gave me 10 rupees, using which I bought a small secondhand racquet for myself.”
Manoj Sarkar is from Uttarakhand, India with a modest background.
He is listed on the first rank in Men’s Singles SL3 and first in Men’s Doubles SL3-SL4 by World Ranking.
His coach for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics is Gaurav Khanna.
Manoj Sarkar with his coach
Manoj Sarkar is the recipient of the Arjuna award. In 2018, he was honoured with the Arjuna award by the President of India Ram Nath Kovind for Manoj’s extraordinary performances in para-badminton championships.
Manoj Sarkar while receiving Arjuna Award from the Indian President Ram Nath Kovind
He was honoured by the GoSports Foundation with the Enabler of the Year trophy in 2019.
A screenshot of the Instagram picture of Manoj Sarkar while showing his Enabler of the Year trophy in 2019
In 2019, he was presented with the Para Sportsman at the Year by the Sportstar Aces Awards.
Khel Ratna award was also presented to him by the sports department of the Uttarakhand government in 2018-2019.
Manoj posing with his Khel Ratna award by Uttarakhand State
As per Manoj Sarkar, his wife encouraged him for a great victory. In an interview with Scroll, he remarked that he was dedicating his win to his wife. He said,
This is a dream come true and a dream moment. I would like to dedicate this whole tournament and moment to the whole country. But this particular moment I’d like to dedicate to my wife because she has encouraged me to put my anger on the court. The medal is for my country and the match is for my wife.”
Manoj Sarkar posing with his medal after winning the bronze medal in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics
Manoj Sarkar shared a picture while doing meditation at home on one of his social media accounts in 2020.
Manoj Sarkar while doing meditation
Manoj Sarkar was congratulated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his Twitter account after his victory in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics in badminton.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Tweet for Manoj Sarkar on his win in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics
Manoj Sarkar is a yoga enthusiast. He does yoga regularly.
Manoj Sarkar while doing yoga