India's numero uno para shuttler Nitesh Kumar defeated Daniel Bethell of Great Britain to clinch gold medal at the Paris Paralympic Games 2024 on Monday (September 2). The 29-year-old won the nerve-wracking match 21-14, 18-21, 23-21 to claim India's second gold at the Paris Games. (Full Coverage | More Sports News)
Nitesh had an 0-9 head-to-head record against Bethell, going into this gold medal match.
The top-seeded Indian shuttler had earlier secured a medal with a commanding straight-game win over Japan’s Daisuke Fujihara in the semi-finals. The 29-year-old Nitesh, who overcame permanent leg damage from a 2009 accident, depicted his dominance with a 21-16, 21-12 win over Fujihara in a 48-minute last-four clash.
The IIT Mandi graduate thus ensured that India returns with a medal from the SL3 category, after Pramod Bhagat clinched the gold when para badminton made its debut three years ago in Tokyo. Bhagat was earlier suspended for 18 months by the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) due to whereabouts failures.
