By Rohit Kumar Mitra
New Delhi, June 27 (UNI) India’s Paris Paralympics badminton Gold medallist Nitesh Kumar is all keyed up as he prepares to carry forward his success story into the BWF Para Badminton World Championships slated to be held in Manama, Bahrain, in February next year.
“Para Badminton World Championships is the big tournament I am currently preparing for, which is scheduled for February, 2026. I have several internationals before that, I will be going to Wales next month and Indonesia in October, the main target will be the world championships,” Nitesh Kumar said in an interview to UNI.
Kumar expressed happiness over India hosting world-class international tournaments, saying such events will help not only in the development of sporting infrastructure but will also increase spectator interest
“World Para Athletics Championships will be held in India in October. Such tournaments make a big difference, and apart from Para athletics, other sports too should host such international events in India. This will be very significant, especially as we are trying to get the Olympics in India in 2036. Along with the Summer Games, we will also host the Paralympics,” he said.
Over nine months after his Para Olympics gold medal winning feat, Kumar still cannot get over his dream performance. He ranks the thrilling September 2, 2024, final against Great Britain’s Daniel Bethell as his best performance till date.
The Para Badminton star, who plays in the SL3 category, said the Olympics offers a different level of pressure and the Paris Para Olympics was for him his most memorable tournament
“I was expected to win as I was the number 1 seed there, and was coming into the tournament in great form. When I was playing my first match, I was very nervous. I could feel the pressure of playing the Para Olympics. But winning the final against an opponent against whom I have never won before, that too in a close match, was my best performance. I am happy with the way I was able to maintain my calm and focus during the match – all in all, Paris Para Olympics is my most memorable tournament,” he said.
Kumar, who is an IIT Mandi graduate, expressed gratitude to the institution for supporting him, “Sporting facilities at IIT’s are very good, they have good infrastructure for almost every sport. It was not easy balancing studies and sports and it affected me initially.
“So I took a year off in 2018 to prepare for the Asian Para games, I won the bronze medal there, then I went back to finish my graduation in 2019. IIT Mandi supported me a lot, kept the exams flexible for me to attend, I will always be thankful to them.”
Kumar expressed happiness that facilities and support for Para sports have increased significantly since he started. “Initially, we struggled as there were very few tournaments, very less training facilities. Now many academies have infrastructure for various para-sports, and we get a lot of encouragement from the Ministry, from private sponsors and corporates.
“For the first few years, it is difficult for every athlete, but once you start performing, support comes along. Not only the support in terms of infrastructure and financial support, public interest in Para sports has risen, and the affection that we receive from them is a great motivator for us,” he said.
Kumar considers 2020 Summer Paralympics badminton gold medallist Pramod Bhagat as his role model and mentor and spoke about the special bond he shares with him
“I have been very close to Pramod Bhagat bhaiya, he won the Tokyo 2020 Para Olympics, he was not there in Paris, but I was able to bring back the gold. After winning the gold in Paris he was the first person I spoke to”
When asked what advice he would give aspiring Para athletes, he stressed that they should judiciously choose the sport that they take up and be patient for results
“Choose the sport as per your disability, every sport requires a different level of physical capability and skill. Choosing the right sport as per one’s ability is the key. Also, one shouldn’t be impatient for success at the start. In sports it takes a lot of years of effort and training to win big tournaments- don’t expect results too soon,” said Kumar.
