Nitesh Kumar, the gold medalist in badminton men’s singles at the Paris Paralympics, shared his thoughts on the pressure he faced in the absence of his teammate Pramod Bhagat. During a ceremony honoring the Indian Paralympic athletes at the SAI headquarters, Nitesh revealed that he approached the competition one match at a time, especially after Bhagat’s 18-month suspension. This strategy helped him maintain focus and secure the gold medal in the men’s singles SL3 category.
“I thought of taking one game at a time, going out there as World No. 1, first seed, it was a responsibility for me to win the title, especially when Pramod was unable to participate in the Paralympics,” Nitesh told PTI in an exclusive interview. “It was an extra responsibility for me to go out and win for India. Entering the final, I knew it would be intense and mentally tough for both of us. I had the confidence to be superior to him and be at my best.”
The Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Mansukh Mandaviya, praised the athletes for their outstanding performance, resulting in India’s highest medal count in Paralympic history. He expressed confidence in the team’s ability to achieve even greater success in the remaining events.
“We’ll cheer for Bharat and in the coming days, our players will fight for 11 more medals. I believe that the way our players are performing in the Paralympics, they have a bright future ahead,” Mandaviya said. “India still has a chance to win 11 more medals at the Paralympics.”
Suhas Yathiraj, who successfully defended his silver medal from Tokyo, dismissed any immediate plans of retirement. “Winning the silver medal is a challenge in itself. Every player wants to win the gold and the disappointment remains when they don’t win,” Yathiraj said. “Life’s a journey and I want to live this moment, not thinking much about my future in the game right now.”
Thulasimathi Murugesan, who secured a silver medal, expressed her determination to improve her performance in future competitions. “I am happy with silver. I think I have to work harder for changing the colour of my medal.”
Head coach Gaurav Khanna expressed optimism about India’s future prospects, aiming to improve on the five medals won in Paris. “We aimed to win 8-10 medals but had to settle with five. We hope that we will achieve our goals in the 2028 edition.”
The Indian Paralympic contingent’s success in Paris has sparked excitement and anticipation for future competitions, with athletes like Nitesh Kumar, Suhas Yathiraj, and Thulasimathi Murugesan set to continue their journey towards achieving their full potential on the global stage.
