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 hisꦐ 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.
