Paris Paralympics 2024: Nitesh Kumar Bags Gold Medal, Defeats Great Britain’s Daniel Bethell

Paris Paralympics 2024: India's Nitesh Kumar has clinched India's second Gold medal in the ongoing Paralympic games. Nitesh defeated Britain’s Daniel Bethell in Men’s Singles SL3 Para-Badminton Match. Nitesh won the match 21-14, 18-21, 23-21.  

The 29-year-old from Haryana showcased incredible resilience and tactical brilliance, overcoming Tokyo silver medallist Bethell in a nail-biting contest that lasted an hour and 20 minutes, with the final scoreline reading 21-14 18-21 23-21.

"I still don't feel it. May be when I go to the podium and the national anthem is played, it will sink in," Nitesh said after the match.
Competing in the SL3 category, which is reserved for players with severe lower limb disabilities and requires to play on a half-width court, Nitesh's journey to gold was anything but ordinary.

At the age of 15, he lost his left leg in a train accident in Visakhapatnam in 2009. However, this devastating event didn't crush his spirit.

His victory on Monday not only marked a personal triumph but also ensured that India retained the SL3 gold, which Pramod Bhagat had won three years ago when badminton made its Paralympic debut in Tokyo.
Facing an opponent who had beaten him nine times in the past, Nitesh, an IIT Mandi graduate, displayed immense mental fortitude as he recorded his first win over Bethell.

"I didn't think it this way. Thoughts were coming into my mind how I will win. But I was not thinking about what I will do after I win, I pushed that feeling away," he said.

(With PTI inputs)