On Monday, shuttler Nitesh Kumar had a magnificent performance to win the Paralympic gold medal.
Nitesh Kumar captured India’s second gold medal at the Paris Paralympics, defeating Daniel Bethell of Great Britain in a three-game thriller in the men’s singles SL3 final. It was a fight of the best as the two top seeds competed for the gold medal; in the end, the highest-seeded Nitesh triumphed, defeating Bethell 21-14, 18-21, 23-21 in one hour and 20 minutes to claim his maiden Paralympic medal.This marks the third Paralympic medal for badminton for India; interestingly, all of the country’s medals in the sport have been gold. In the 2020 Tokyo Games, Pramod Bhagat (SL3) and Krishna Nagar (SH6) clinched top podiums.The first match point went to Nitesh, but Bethell stopped it, tying the score at 20–20. After gaining an advantage and a match point of his own, the British shuttler was met with a corresponding response from Nitesh.
Ultimately, the top-seeded Indian player maintained his composure and won two straight points to secure his maiden Paralympic medal.
