Nitesh Kumar reaches SL3 final in badminton men's singles and secures his first medal

Paris: Top-seeded Indian para shuttler Nitesh Kumar secured his maiden medal in the SL3 men's singles category after reaching the final with a convincing straight-sets win over Japan's Daisuke Fujihara in the last meeting between the two teams at the Paris Paralympics on Sunday.

The 29-year-old, who overcame permanent leg damage following an accident in 2009, showed his dominance with a 21-16, 21-12 victory over Fujihara in a 48-minute semifinal.

“I have been performing consistently and was convinced that I would make it to the final. It is a great feeling to have actually done that because the pressure is there and I had lost my mixed doubles, but I did not let that bother me,” he said.

The IIT Mandi graduate, who won three medals at the 2022 Asian Games, including silver in singles, ensured India returns with a medal from the SL3 category after Pramod Bhagat won gold at the inaugural Para-Badminton event in Tokyo three years ago.

SL3 players like Nitesh compete with more severe lower limb disabilities and therefore must play on a half-width pitch.

In the summit clash, Nitesh will face Britain's Daniel Bethell, who recorded a clear 21-7, 21-9 victory over Thailand's Bunsun Mongkhon. Bethell, who finished second to Pramod Bhagat at the Tokyo Games, is a formidable opponent and sets the stage for an exciting final.

Nitesh's sporting career began with his passion for football in his childhood. However, an accident in Visakhapatnam left him bedridden for months and left him with permanent leg damage. Despite this, his interest in sports continued, especially during his time at IIT-Mandi, where he developed a keen interest in badminton.

Along with his studies, he continued to hone his skills and made his debut at the Nationals in Faridabad, where he won a bronze medal for Haryana.

The following year, he won silver in singles and bronze in doubles in Bengaluru, establishing himself in para-badminton.

His national success culminated at the 2020 Nationals, where he defeated Pramod and Manoj Sarkar to win gold.

Nitesh's win secured India's third medal in para-badminton after Manisha Ramadass confirmed a podium place after securing a women's singles SU5 semifinal clash with compatriot Thulasimathi Murugesan.

Manisha, 19, who was born with Erb's palsy that affected her right arm, had no trouble defeating Japan's Mamiko Toyoda 21-13, 21-16 in the quarterfinals.

Erb's palsy is a nerve disease in the shoulder and arm that leads to weakness or loss of muscle function.

The second-seeded Indian left-hander needed 30 minutes to defeat her unseeded rival.

In the semifinals, Manisha will face number one seed Thulasimathi, who defeated Portuguese Beatriz Monteiro in Group A on Saturday.

In the SU5 category, players suffer from an impairment of the upper limbs. The impairment can affect both the playing hand and the non-playing hand.

India's medal hopes were further boosted by Nithya Sivan Sumathy, who moved into the semifinals of the women's singles SH6 with a 21-4, 21-7 win over Poland's Oliwia Szmigiel. Nithya will face China's Lin Shuangbao in the semifinals, a tough opponent who has a 4-0 record against the Indian, including a win in the group stages.

On Saturday, Sukant Kadam earned the right to compete in the SL4 semifinals against compatriot Suhas Yathiraj, securing his country's first medal in badminton at this edition of the Games.

However, Mandeep Kaur and Palak Kohli were eliminated here on Sunday after separate defeats in their respective quarter-finals.

Mandeep competed in the SL3 category and did not pose much of a challenge to third-seeded Nigerian Bolaji Mariam Eniola, losing the match in 23 minutes with 8:21 and 9:21.

For Mandeep, it was his second consecutive defeat against Eniola after he had already lost to the Nigerian in the group stage.

In the SL4 category, Paralympic World Championship bronze medalist Palak lost to Indonesian Khalimatus Sadiyah in 28 minutes with 19:21 and 15:21.

SL4 is a class for athletes who compete standing up and whose impairment is less severe than in SL3.