PARIS, Sep 2: India’s Kumar Nitesh 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.
“I still don’t feel it. May be when I go to the podium and the national anthem is played, it will sink in,” Nitesh said after the match.
Competing in the SL3 category, which is reserved for players with severe lower limb disabilities and requires to play on a half-width court, Nitesh’s journey to gold was 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 victory on Monday not only marked a personal triumph but also ensured that India retained the SL3 gold, .
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 was a test of endurance and skill, with both players engaging in excruciating rallies, including a nearly three-minute rally of 122 shots in the opening game.
Nitesh’s sharp reverse hits, delicate drop shots, and polished net play kept Bethell on his toes throughout the match.
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 an 18-14 lead, eventually sealing the game when Bethell sent the shuttle wide.
Nitesh could have won in straight games as he was leading 14-12 at one stage but Bethell staged a comeback, forcing the contest to a decider.
In the final game, the tension was palpable as the two 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 it.
Bethell, too, had a match point at 21-20 but faltered at the net. Finally, the Indian seized his opportunity, taking the match after Bethell hit long and wide.
The moment of victory for Nitesh was a culmination of years of hard work and perseverance.
The journey from being bedridden after his accident to standing atop the Paralympic podium is a testament to his indomitable spirit.
Suhas signs off with a silver medal
Suhas Yathiraj secured his second successive Paralympics silver medal in men’s singles SL4 after going down in straight games to favourite Lucas Mazur of France in the final here on Monday.
The 41-year-old Suhas, a 2007 batch IAS officer, looked tentative and was no match for the formidable French, losing 9-21 13-21 in a lop-sided summit clash.
The loss meant Lucas once again denied Suhas the glory, having beaten him in the Tokyo Paralympics final three years ago.
India’s Yogesh Kathuniya clinched his second consecutive Paralympic silver medal in men’s discus throw F-56 event with a season’s best effort 42.22m at the ongoing Games here on Monday.
The 27-year-old hurled the discus to the podium-clinching distance in his very first attempt to add to the silver he won in the Tokyo Paralympics three years ago.
Brazil’s Claudiney Batista dos Santos registered a hat-trick of Paralympic gold medals, creating a new Games record with an effort of 46.86m in his fifth attempt.Greece’s Konstantinos Tzounis won the bronze with 41.32m.
The F-56 classification covers limb deficiency, leg length difference, impaired muscle power and impaired range of movement.
Sheetal-Rakesh pair to fight for bronze
India archers Sheetal Devi and Rakesh Kumar went down in shoot-off after a dramatic semifinal clash against Iran’s Fatemeh Hemmati and Hadi Nori in the mixed team compound open event at the Paris Paralympics here on Monday.
The Indians looked on course to make the final but a remarkable Iranian rally and revision of score by a judge came in their way of scripting history.
The match went into shoot-off after the scores were tied 152-152.It seemed like the Indians had won it after the Iranians shot a nine with their fourth arrow in the final end.
However, much to the disappointment of the Indian duo, the target judge revised a shot of nine from Iran (their second arrow in the final end) to 10 after evaluation, taking the contest into shoot-off.
Both the teams had perfect scores in shoot-off but Fatemeh’s arrow hit the centre. Her shot was much closer to the bulls eye, paving the way for Iran’s passage to the final. (PTI)
