Nitesh Kumar Gold Medal Paralympics: India’s para badminton player Nitesh Kumar rocked the Paris Paralympics 2024 on Monday. He won the gold medal. He defeated Britain’s Daniel Bethell 21-14, 18-21, 23-21 in the final of the men’s singles SL3 category. This is India’s second gold in Paris and ninth medal overall. Before Nitesh, shooter Avani Lekhara had won the gold. Nitesh has become the third Indian badminton player to win gold at the Paralympics. Pramod Bhagat (SL3) and Krishna Nagar (SH6) won gold in para badminton in Tokyo.
An interesting contest was witnessed between Nitesh and Bethel. Nitesh dominated the first game, which he won 21-14. Apart from excellent defence, he also smashed with perfect timing. However, Bethel made a strong comeback in the second game. At one point, Nitesh had reached a score of 18-18 in this game, but Bethel performed brilliantly and won 21-18 by scoring three consecutive points. Thus, the deciding game took place.
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Both showed patience in the deciding game but the tension of the long rallies in the last two games was also felt. Nitesh earned the first match point but Bethell managed to save it, making the score equal at 20-20. After this, the British shuttler took the lead and also got his match point. Still, top seed Nitesh kept his composure. He won two consecutive points and won his first Paralympic medal.
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29-year-old Nitesh had won in straight games against Japan’s Daisuke Fujihara in the semi-finals. He defeated Fujihara 21-16 21-12. Nitesh’s leg was permanently disabled in an accident in 2009. Players in the SL3 category compete with lower limb disabilities. Nitesh is a graduate from IIIT-Mandi. He developed a keen interest in badminton while studying at IIT-Mandi.
