World Championship gold still missing from my medal collection: Nitesh Kumar

Para-badminton star Nitesh Kumar has enjoyed an illustrious career, with the Asian Para Games gold in Nagoya adding another milestone to his journey. But despite multiple international medals, the Paris Paralympic gold medalist is still hungry to add a World Championship title to his collection.

The 31-year-old has already won two silver and two bronze medals at the World Championships, but is still chasing gold.

“I still keep telling myself that there is one thing missing from my medal collection: World Championship gold. I don’t have a World Championship title yet, and I’m still looking forward to winning one. Maybe in 2028 or at the next opportunity,” Nitesh Kumar, who competes in the men's singles SL3 category, told The Bridge.

How Nitesh turned silver to gold in Nagoya

The men's singles SL3 final at Nagoya was an all Indian affair and also a rematch of the Hangzhou final three years ago where Nitesh and Pramod Bhagat were up against each other.

But this time, Nitesh turned the tables, defeating Bhagat in straight games to clinch gold. In Hangzhou, Bhagat had won the gold.

Speaking on the two finals, three years apart, Nitesh said the Hangzhou loss stayed with him for a while.

“It’s very special. At the last Asian Games, we played the final, and I was leading 18-13 in the third set, then 19-16, before losing 19-21,” Nitesh said.

“That loss stayed with me for a very long time. It helped me improve and prepare for situations like these and when I went to Paris (Paralympics). But deep down, that match was still on my mind,” he added.

Defeating Bhagat, Tokyo Paralympics gold medalist and six-time world singles champion, was particularly special for Nitesh.

The Paris Paralympics gold medalist was proud of how he handled pressure in the final.

“Coming here (Nagoya) and facing Pramod in another final, winning the first set, then losing it, and eventually beating him in two sets on such a big stage is a big win. I’m really proud of how I handled the second set and pulled it off,” Nitesh reflected.

Having lost a crucial final before and played on multiple occasions internationally, Nitesh knew it wouldn't be an easy win and that he would need to remain patient.

“We’ve been playing each other for a very long time at international tournaments and have played enough finals against each other. I knew I would have to dig deeper to win. If I got impatient or lost my calm, he would take advantage and put me under pressure,” Nitesh said.

“The rallies were long, and we were both making each other work hard for points. I kept telling myself that it would be a hard-fought win and that I just had to keep going without getting too eager for every point or the win,” he added.

Nitesh competes in the SL3 category meant for athletes with impairment in one or both lower limbs and poor walking or running balance.

A day before the finals, Bhagat was stretched to a tight three-games semifinal win against Korea's Lee Seunghu 16-21, 21-18, 21-17, lasting 2 hours and 9 minutes. Nitesh had defeated Indonesia's Muh Al Imran 21-19, 21-16 in 52 minutes.

However, Nitesh did not feel Bhagat’s long semifinal had made a difference in the final. Instead, he credited his ability to contain Bhagat’s attacking game.

“He said it hadn’t bothered him. Even during the match, I couldn’t see him lagging in terms of stamina or movement. I think the difference was that whenever he tried to win points with his heavy smashes and take control of the rallies, I was able to restrict him. That’s where he lost some composure and perhaps became unsure about how to move forward,” Nitesh, who also won a silver in mixed doubles SL3-SU5 alongwith Thulasimathi Murugesan, said.

'Paris Paralympics not the turning point'

Nitesh Kumar had scripted history by claiming Paris 2024 Paralympics gold, also becoming only the third Indian to achieve this remarkable feat.

When asked if Paris was a breakthrough moment, Nitesh denied it saying, “I don’t think one particular win will define a big part of my journey. The losses I experienced before Paris were even more crucial because they taught me a lot. I took many positives from my Paris final. It wasn’t just one tournament that taught me things and helped me reach where I am today.”

India’s para badminton team finished the Asian Para Games with 16 medals: three gold, five silver and eight bronze. This was five fewer than the 21 medals India won at the 2023 edition, when the tally included four gold, four silver and 13 bronze.

Despite the lower medal count, Nitesh remained confident about India’s strength in the SL3 and SL4 categories, where Indian players have consistently performed well.

“We won gold at the Asian Games in 2018 and again in 2023, and we are continuing that dominance. We have two events (SL3 and SL4) where we continue to dominate, which gives us a special sense of pride. We are making it harder for other countries to come up and beat us at this level,” the 31-year-old added.