Paris Paralympics: Medal will stay in India, Nitesh Kumar told Pramod Bhagat after winning gold

New Delhi: Soon after Nitesh Kumar won the gold medal in the para-badminton Men’s Singles SL3 category at the Paralympics Games in Paris, France, the 29-year-old had a conversation with Pramod Bhagat, who had won gold in the same category in Tokyo three years ago.

Bhagat, the gold medal winner of the SL3 category in the Tokyo Paralympics three years ago, is serving an 18-month suspension for breaching the Badminton World Federation’s anti-doping whereabouts clause.

Soon after his event in the Paris Paralympics was over, Nitesh called Pramod to let him know the gold medal was staying in India.

“After I won the medal, I was interacting with the crowd it was all in the heat of the moment. I celebrated but then I called Pramod bhaiya and told him that the gold medal was going to stay in India. I then had a small chat with my family, and when I saw tears in my parents’ eyes it meant the world to me,” Nitesh Kumar told IANS on his return from France on Wednesday.

“When I returned to my hotel room, I did not feel that I had done anything huge but since then whenever I meet an Indian, they are congratulating me, showering me with blessings I can feel how it means to India,” he added.

Nitesh’s final against Great Britain’s Daniel Bethell lasted an hour and 20 minutes. After Nitesh won the first game 21-14, the Brit fought back into the match and tied the score at 1-1 with an 18-21 win. The final game lasted 23 minutes and it was the Indian who won 23-21 in a very close encounter.

Nitesh went on to reveal what his mindset was in the final moments when the pressure was at an all-time high.

“Usually the good games of SL3 are lengthy so I was prepared for a long game. I was taking it match-by-match and when I won my semifinal I knew I was in for a marathon match in the final. I focused on my recovery and I knew he would be under more pressure as I am World No.1, he is second. My target was to bring the gold medal back to India. When the final game was tied at the end I knew he would hit be desperate, ” he added.

–IANS