India's Nitesh Kumar wins men's singles gold (SL3) in badminton at the Paris Paralympics 2024 on Monday, September 2. Kumar defeated Britain's Daniel Bethell 21-14, 18-21 and 23-21 in the gold medal match held at Porte de La Chapelle Arena.
For Kumar, it was his maiden gold medal at the Paralympics. With this, India now has 9 medals at the Paris Paralympics, including two gold, three silver and four bronze.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated him on winning the gold medal. He took to X and wrote, “A tremendous achievement by Nitesh Kumar in the Para Badminton Men's Singles SL3, as he wins the Gold! He is known for his incredible skills and perseverance. May he keep motivating upcoming athletes.”
Hailing from Haryana, the 29-year-old was spot on with his shot selections as he beat Tokyo silver medalist Bethell in a contest that lasted for an hour and 20 minutes.
With his victory, India retained the SL3 gold in badminton after Pramod Bhagat clinched it three years ago at the Tokyo Paralympics 2020, where the event was introduced for the first time.
Players like Kumar, who contest under the SL3 class, compete with severe lower limb disabilities, requiring them to play on a half-width court.
Meanwhile, India's Avani Lekhara and Babu Sidhartha failed to qualify for the final in the Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone (SH1) event after finishing 11th and 28th, respectively, at the Paris Paralympics 2024.
Son of a navy officer, Kumar once aspired to wear the uniform himself. But lost his leg in a train accident in Visakhapatnam in 2009 at the age of 15 years.
Bedridden for months, Kumar started preparing for the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) entrance examinations and even took a year off.
In 2003, he joined IIT Mandi and developed an interest in badminton during his time there. He started playing para-badminton in 2016 after participating in the Para National Championships as part of the Haryana team.
In 2017, he won his first international title at the Irish Para-Badminton International. Following this, he also won multiple titles, including the BWF Para Badminton World Circuit and Asian Para Games.
He also works as a Senior Badminton Coach for the Department of Sports and Youth Affairs in Haryana, reported NDTV.
With agency inputs.
