New Delhi: Odisha’s ace para shuttler Pramod Bhagat had to miss the Paris Paralympics 2024 after being suspended for 18 months for breaching anti-doping regulations of Badminton World Federation (BWF).
But India didn’t miss the gold medal Pramod had won in the Tokyo Paralympics three years ago as Nitesh Kumar stepped up to the occasion to carve out a memorable triumph in Paris on Monday.
Up against experienced Briton Daniel Bethell, Nitesh won 21-14, 18-21, 23-21 in a pulsating men’s SL3 badminton final that lasted an hour and 20 minutes.
Coincidentally, Pramod had also overcome Bethell to claim gold in the same event at Tokyo Paralympics.
It was India’s second gold medal of the Paris Games, and their tally currently stands at – 2 gold, 3 silver and 4 bronze.
Top-seeded Nitesh, who lost his left leg in a train accident in 2009, won all three of his Group A matches to storm into the semifinals.
He began his campaign by beating compatriot Manoj Sarkar 21-13, 18-21, 21-18, then brushed aside Chinese Yang Jianyuan 21-5, 21-before seeing off Thai Bunsun Mongkhon 21-13, 21-14.
In the last-four clashstage, Nitesh dominated Japan’s Daisuke Fujihara to win 21-16, 21-12.
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