Paris [France], September 1 : In a historic moment for Indian Para Badminton, shuttler Nitesh Kumar showcased immense resilience and determination as he advanced to his first Paralympics final.
Competing in the men's singles SL3 category at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, Nitesh defeated Japan's Daisuke Fujihara in straight sets, 21-16, 21-12, in the semifinals.
Nitesh's victory is a significant achievement for Indian badminton, ensuring consecutive medals in the men's singles SL3 category at the Paralympics.
He will now face Great Britain's Daniel Bethell in the gold medal match on September 2.
Reflecting on his journey and the semifinal win, Nitesh said he didn't feel it was unexpected and didn't let the failure in mixed doubles hinders his chances.
"I am not thinking of it as my first Paralympics and first final. I have always performed consistently. I didn't feel that it was tough or unexpected for me. I had the self-belief that I would make it to the finals, but it feels amazing to be here because, in the Paralympic pressure, things sometimes don't go your way. That happened in the mixed doubles, where we lost, but I didn't let that hinder my singles performance, and now I am in the finals."
When asked about his approach to the final, Nitesh added, "I have not thought about the strategies for the final yet because I was concentrating on one game at a time. Now, I will go back and focus on my recovery. I discuss the game with my coach in the morning before the match. We talk about what's on my mind, and he shares his thoughts, and we come to a common strategy based on our training. I don't want to spend the entire night thinking about the final, right now my focus is on recovery."
So far, India has secured a total of five medals at the ongoing Paris Paralympics, with one gold, a silver, and three bronze medals.
Rubina finished third and bagged a bronze medal in the P2-Women's 10M Air Pistol SH-1 final on Saturday. She gathered a total of 211.1 points in the final.
On Friday, reigning Paralympic champion, Avani Lekhara maintained her winning streak and struck gold in the women's 10m air rifle final at the ongoing Paris Paralympics. Shooter Mona Agarwal bagged the bronze medal at the same event.
Lekhara dominated the final of the women's 10m air rifle and secured the top place with 249.7 points, which is also her personal best.India's silver medal came in shooting as well, with Manish Narwal getting a silver in the men's P1 10 m air pistol SH1 competition.
Preeti secured third place and won the bronze medal in the T35 100m race after clocking 14.21 seconds, which is also her personal best.
This year, India has sent its largest Paralympics contingent ever, comprising 84 athletes across 12 sports, a testament to the country's expanding para-sports ecosystem. India's participation in the Paris 2024 Paralympics marks not only a significant increase in numbers but also in medal hopes, as the nation aims to surpass its previous achievements in Tokyo.
Tokyo 2020 was India's most successful Paralympic Games, with the country winning 19 medals, including five golds, eight silvers, and six bronzes.
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