Nitesh’s patience pays off with gold

Nitesh Kumar

India's Nitesh Kumar clinched his maiden gold medal at the Paralympics, defeating Great Britain's Daniel Bethell in a gripping men's singles SL3 badminton final here on Monday. 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. The SL3 category is reserved for players with severe lower limb disabilities and played on a half-width court.

Nitesh's journey to gold has been 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 win ensured India retained the SL3 gold, which Pramod Bhagat had won three years ago at the Tokyo Paralympics. 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. The final saw both players engaging in excruciating rallies, including a nearly three-minute rally of 122 shots in Game 1.

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Nitesh with his gold medal

The opening game saw Nitesh trailing 6-9 at one point, but his rock-solid defense allowed him to claw back, entering the break with a two-point cushion. He then surged ahead to 18-14 and eventually win it. Nitesh could have won in straight games as he was leading 14-12 at one stage but Bethell staged a comeback, to force the decider. In the final game, both athletes matched each other point for point, moving from 8-8 to 19-19. Nitesh had the first championship point at 20-19, but couldn't convert. Bethell, too, had a match point at 21-20, but faltered.

Finally, the Indian seized his opportunity, as Bethell hit long and wide. "I have lost in such situations against him and I didn't want to make the same mistakes. I had lost my calm in the past, so I told myself that I should keep fighting for each point. At 19-20 in the decider also I told myself to stick in there and make him earn the point. I usually don't play with such patience and trust my strokes as they are deceptive, but when I started in the first game here, I planned that I have to play the first few points well to get comfortable. Then I can play my strokes."

A navy officer's son, Nitesh had once dreamed of following in his father's footsteps and joining the defence forces. However, the accident shattered those dreams. At a visit to the Artificial Limbs Centre in Pune, he witnessed war veterans pushing their limits despite their injuries. This reignited his determination to overcome his own challenges. Nitesh made his para debut at the 2016 Nationals in Faridabad. He won three medals at the 2022 Asian Para Games.

Indians in action today

Para shooting
Women's 50m air rifle 3 positions SH1 qualification: Mona Agarwal, Avani Lekhara… 13:00

Para Archery
Women's individual recurve 1/8 elimination: Pooja... 15:20

Para athletics
Women's shot put F34 final: Bhagyashri Madhavrao Jadhav… 14:28
Men's high jump T63 final: Sharad Kumar, Mariyappan Thangavelu, Shailesh Kumar… 23:50
Men's javelin throw F46 final: Ajeet Singh, Rinku, Sundar Singh Gurjar… 23:50

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