Paris Paralympics: Shuttler Nitesh Kumar wins gold medal in badminton men’s singles SL3

An IIT Mandi graduate, Indian shuttler Nitesh Kumar, who was the top seed, overcame a tough challenge from Britain’s Daniel Bethell, but didn’t disappoint his fans as he clinched the top medal in the final of the Men’s Singles SL3 category badminton at the Paris Paralympics on Monday.

Nitesh won the match 21-14, 18-21, 23-21 at the La Chapelle Arena Court 1. This is India’s second gold at the ongoing Paralympics, just days after rifle shooter Avani Lekhara won the top prize.

India now has nine medals, including two gold, three silver and four bronze medals.

After winning the first game 21-14, the Indian shuttler made some unforced errors. But came back strongly to win the match. This was also Nitesh’s first win against the British badminton player. In their last ten matches, Nitesh had never won against the Briton.

Bethell endured another heartbreak as he had lost to India’s Promod Bhagat in the final of the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. While his match on Monday was more competitive than the one at Tokyo, he failed to change the results.

Nitesh started playing para-badminton after he lost his leg in a train accident in 2009. Earlier in 2024, he had won a gold at the BWF Para-Badminton World Championships.