India’s Nitesh Kumar won his first gold medal at the Paralympics, defeating Great Britain’s Daniel Bethell in a gripping men’s singles SL3 badminton final in Paris on September 2, 2024. The 29-year-old from Haryana showed remarkable determination and strategic brilliance to overcome Bethell, a Tokyo silver medallist, in a thrilling match that lasted an hour and 20 minutes, ending with a scoreline of 21-14, 18-21, 23-21.
“I still don’t feel it. Maybe when I go to the podium and the national anthem is played, it will sink in,” Nitesh said following his victory.
Nitesh competed in the SL3 category, which is designated for players with severe lower limb disabilities and requires playing on a half-width court. His journey to gold was anything but typical. At 15, he lost his left leg in a train accident in Visakhapatnam in 2009. Despite this devastating event, his spirit remained unbroken.
His win on September 2 not only marked a personal achievement but also ensured that India retained the SL3 gold medal, which Pramod Bhagat had won three years ago when badminton made its Paralympic debut in Tokyo.
Facing an opponent who had defeated him nine times previously, Nitesh, an IIT Mandi graduate, showed immense mental toughness to secure his first victory over Bethell. “I didn’t think it this way. Thoughts were coming into my mind about how I will win. But I was not thinking about what I will do after I win; I pushed that feeling away,” he said.
The final match was a true test of endurance and skill, with both players engaging in intense rallies, including a nearly three-minute rally of 122 shots in the opening game. Nitesh’s sharp reverse hits, delicate drop shots, and refined net play kept Bethell constantly on his toes. In the opening game, Nitesh was trailing 6-9 at one point, but his solid defense allowed him to make a comeback, entering the break with a two-point advantage. He then advanced to an 18-14 lead, eventually securing the game when Bethell hit the shuttle wide.
Nitesh could have sealed the match in straight games as he led 14-12 at one stage, but Bethell made a comeback, forcing the contest into a deciding game. The tension was palpable in the final game as both athletes matched each other point for point, moving from 8-8 to 19-19. Nitesh had his first championship point at 20-19 but couldn’t convert it. Bethell also had a match point at 21-20 but faltered at the net. Finally, Nitesh seized his opportunity, winning the match after Bethell hit long and wide.
“I have lost in such situations against him before and didn’t want to make the same mistakes. I had lost my calm in the past, so I told myself to keep fighting for each point. At 19-20 in the decider, I also told myself to stick in there and make him earn the point,” Nitesh explained.
“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 to play well in the first few points to get comfortable. Then I could play my strokes, and I could see he was desperate. But due to the conditions, I didn’t try too many variations, just looked to play steady.”
The moment of victory for Nitesh was the culmination of years of hard work and perseverance. His journey from being bedridden after his accident to standing on the Paralympic podium is a testament to his indomitable spirit. The son of a navy officer, Nitesh had once dreamed of following in his father’s footsteps and joining the defense forces. However, the accident shattered those dreams. It was during a visit to the Artificial Limbs Centre in Pune, where he saw war veterans pushing their limits despite their injuries, that his determination to overcome his own challenges was reignited.
Nitesh began his para-badminton career at the 2016 Nationals in Faridabad, where he won a bronze medal. His rise continued on the international stage, where he won three medals, including a silver in singles, at the Asian Para Games in 2022.
Earlier on the same day, there was disappointment for second seeds Sivarajan Solaimalai and Nithua Sre Sumathy Sivan, who lost 17-21, 12-21 to the Indonesian pair of Subhan and Rina Marlina in the mixed doubles SH6 bronze medal playoff.
