Template:Infobox badminton player
Nitesh Kumar (born 30 December 1994) is an Indian para-badminton player.[1] He won a gold at the 2024 Paris Paralympics in the men's singles SL3 category.[2] He is a two-time silver and one-time bronze medalist at the World Championships. Kumar has won one gold, one silver and two bronze medals at the Asian Para Games over the years.[3]
Early life and education
Kumar was born on 30 December 1994 in Bas Kirtan, Rajasthan. In 2009, he lost his left leg in a train accident in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. After bed ridden for many months, he prepared for IIT entrance exam for over a year and joined Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi in 2014. He started playing badminton at IIT and in 2016 represented the Haryana team at the Para National Championships.[4] He resides at Karnal, Haryana and is supported by sports NGO, Olympic Gold Quest.[5]
Career
He made his international debut in 2016. In 2017, he won his first title at the Irish Para-Badminton International. Later, he took part and won matches at BWF Para Badminton World Circuit and won a gold medal at the 2022 Asian Para Games at Hangzhou, China.[4][5]
He became the world number 3 in the SL3 category on 14 June 2022.[6]
Coaching career
In 2019, he started working as Senior Badminton Coach at the Department of Sports and Youth Affairs, Haryana.[7][4]
Achievements
Paralympic Games
Men's singles SL3
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Porte de La Chapelle Arena, Paris, France | Template:Flagicon Daniel Bethell | 21–14, 18–21, 23–21 |  Gold
|
World Championships
Men's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Yoyogi National Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan | Template:Flagicon Pramod Bhagat | 19–21, 19–21 |  Silver
|
| 2024 | Pattaya Exhibition and Convention Hall, Pattaya, Thailand | Template:Flagicon Daniel Bethell | 18–21, 22–20, 14–21 |  Bronze
|
| 2026 | Isa Sports City, Manama, Bahrain | Template:Flagicon Muhammad Al Imran | 21–12, 17–21, 11–21 | Bronze
|
Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | St. Jakobshalle, Basel, Switzerland | Template:Flagicon Tarun Dhillon | Template:Flagicon Pramod Bhagat Template:Flagicon Manoj Sarkar |
21–14, 15–21, 16–21 | Silver
|
Asian Para Games
Men's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Binjiang Gymnasium, Hangzhou, China | Template:Flagicon Pramod Bhagat | 20–22, 21–18, 19–21 | Silver
|
Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Istora Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta, Indonesia |
Template:Flagicon Anand Kumar Boregowda | Template:Flagicon Jeon Sun-woo Template:Flagicon Joo Dong-jae |
16–21, 11–21 | Bronze
|
| 2022 | Binjiang Gymnasium, Hangzhou, China |
Template:Flagicon Sukant Kadam | Template:Flagicon Dwiyoko Template:Flagicon Fredy Setiawan |
9–21, 21–19, 22–20 |  Gold
|
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Binjiang Gymnasium, Hangzhou, China |
Template:Flagicon Thulasimathi Murugesan | Template:Flagicon Fredy Setiawan Template:Flagicon Khalimatus Sadiyah |
17–21, 12–21 | Error creating thumbnail: Bronze |
BWF Para Badminton World Circuit (12 titles, 11 runners-up)
The BWF Para Badminton World Circuit – Grade 2, Level 1, 2 and 3 tournaments has been sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation from 2022.[8][9]
Men's singles
| Year | Tournament | Level | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Spanish Para Badminton International II | Level 2 | Template:Flagicon Pramod Bhagat | 21–17, 17–21, 17–21 | Template:Silver2 Runner-up |
| 2022 | Brazil Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Template:Flagicon Daisuke Fujihara | 21–15, 18–21, 21–18 | Template:Gold1 Winner |
| 2022 | Dubai Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Template:Flagicon Pramod Bhagat | 21–19, 17–21, 17–21 | Template:Silver2 Runner-up |
| 2023 | Brazil Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Template:Flagicon Pramod Bhagat | 21–12, 21–13 | Template:Gold1 Winner |
| 2023 | Bahrain Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Template:Flagicon Pramod Bhagat | 16–21, 17–21 | Template:Silver2 Runner-up |
| 2023 | Western Australia Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Template:Flagicon Manoj Sarkar | 21–14, 21–14 | Template:Gold1 Winner |
| 2024 | Spanish Para Badminton International II | Level 2 | Template:Flagicon Manoj Sarkar | 21–17, 21–14 | Template:Gold1 Winner |
| 2024 | Spanish Para Badminton International I | Level 1 | Template:Flagicon Oleksandr Chyrkov | 21–11, 21–13 | Template:Gold1 Winner |
| 2024 | 4 Nations Para Badminton International | Level 1 | Template:Flagicon Daniel Bethell | 11–21, 7–21 | Template:Silver2 Runner-up |
Men's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Level | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Spanish Para Badminton International II | Level 2 | Template:Flagicon Sukant Kadam | Template:Flagicon Pramod Bhagat Template:Flagicon Manoj Sarkar |
19–21, 21–11, 11–21 | Template:Silver2 Runner-up |
| 2022 | Brazil Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Template:Flagicon Tarun Dhillon | Template:Flagicon Mohammad Arwaz Ansari Template:Flagicon Deep Ranjan Bisoyee |
21–13, 17–21, 18–21 | Template:Silver2 Runner-up |
| 2022 | Bahrain Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Template:Flagicon Tarun Dhillon | Template:Flagicon Mongkhon Bunsun Template:Flagicon Siripong Teamarrom |
21–13, 21–7 | Template:Gold1 Winner |
| 2023 | Spanish Para Badminton International II | Level 2 | Template:Flagicon Tarun Dhillon | Template:Flagicon Pramod Bhagat Template:Flagicon Sukant Kadam |
20–22, 21–12, 9–21 | Template:Silver2 Runner-up |
| 2023 | Thailand Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Template:Flagicon Tarun Dhillon | Template:Flagicon Pramod Bhagat Template:Flagicon Sukant Kadam |
21–18, 14–21, 19–21 | Template:Silver2 Runner-up |
| 2023 | Bahrain Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Template:Flagicon Tarun Dhillon | Template:Flagicon Pramod Bhagat Template:Flagicon Sukant Kadam |
24–22, 9–21, 14–21 | Template:Silver2 Runner-up |
| 2023 | Canada Para Badminton International | Level 1 | Template:Flagicon Tarun Dhillon | Template:Flagicon Nilesh Gaikwad Template:Flagicon Nehal Gupta |
21–12, 21–8 | Template:Gold1 Winner |
| Template:Flagicon Guillaume Gailly Template:Flagicon William Roussy |
21–13, 21–12 | |||||
| Template:Flagicon Deep Ranjan Bisoyee Template:Flagicon Manoj Sarkar |
21–9, 17–21, 21–16 | |||||
| Template:Flagicon Pramod Bhagat Template:Flagicon Sukant Kadam |
11–21, 21–16, 21–16 | |||||
| 2022 | Bahrain Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Template:Flagicon Tarun Dhillon | Template:Flagicon Mongkhon Bunsun Template:Flagicon Siripong Teamarrom |
21–13, 21–7 | Template:Gold1 Winner |
| 2023 | Spanish Para Badminton International II | Level 2 | Template:Flagicon Tarun Dhillon | Template:Flagicon Pramod Bhagat Template:Flagicon Sukant Kadam |
20–22, 21–12, 9–21 | Template:Silver2 Runner-up |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Level | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Brazil Para-Badminton International | Level 2 | Template:Flagicon Thulasimathi Murugesan | Template:Flagicon Hikmat Ramdani Template:Flagicon Leani Ratri Oktila |
18–21, 9–21 | Template:Silver2 Runner-up |
| 2023 | Uganda Para Badminton International | Level 3 | Template:Flagicon Thulasimathi Murugesan | Template:Flagicon Naveen Sivakumar Template:Flagicon Palak Kohli |
21–12, 21–11 | Template:Gold1 Winner |
| 2023 | Western Australia Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Template:Flagicon Thulasimathi Murugesan | Template:Flagicon Fredy Setiawan Template:Flagicon Khalimatus Sadiyah |
15–21, 22–20, 21–19 | Template:Gold1 Winner |
| 2024 | Spanish Para Badminton International II | Level 2 | Template:Flagicon Thulasimathi Murugesan | Template:Flagicon Chirag Baretha Template:Flagicon Mandeep Kaur |
21–11, 21–16 | Template:Gold1 Winner |
| 2024 | Spanish Para Badminton International I | Level 1 | Template:Flagicon Thulasimathi Murugesan | Template:Flagicon Lucas Mazur Template:Flagicon Faustine Noël |
22–20, 21–15 | Template:Gold1 Winner |
International Tournaments (7 runners-up)
Men's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Uganda Para Badminton International | Template:Flagicon Umesh Vikram Kumar | 21–17, 15–21, 15–21 | Template:Silver2 Runner-up |
| 2020 | Peru Para Badminton International | Template:Flagicon Pramod Bhagat | 18–21, 21–15, 14–21 | Template:Silver2 Runner-up |
| 2021 | Dubai Para Badminton International | Template:Flagicon Pramod Bhagat | 17–21, 18–21 | Template:Silver2 Runner-up |
Men's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Dubai Para Badminton International | Template:Flagicon Fredy Setiawan | Template:Flagicon Ukun Rukaendi Template:Flagicon Hary Susanto |
17–21, 15–21 | Template:Silver2 Runner-up |
| 2019 | Turkish Para Badminton International | Template:Flagicon Tarun Dhillon | Template:Flagicon Dwiyoko Template:Flagicon Fredy Setiawan |
14–21, 15–21 | Template:Silver2 Runner-up |
| 2019 | Irish Para Badminton International | Template:Flagicon Tarun Dhillon | Template:Flagicon Pramod Bhagat Template:Flagicon Manoj Sarkar |
21–13, 18–21, 21–23 | Template:Silver2 Runner-up |
| 2021 | Dubai Para Badminton International | Template:Flagicon Sukant Kadam | Template:Flagicon Pramod Bhagat Template:Flagicon Manoj Sarkar |
18–21, 16–21 | Template:Silver2 Runner-up |
References
- ↑ Player Profile.
- ↑ Paralympics 2024: Nitesh Kumar wins gold in para-badminton men's singles SL3, Sportstar, Team. sportstar.thehindu.com(2 September 2024). Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ↑ Asian Para Games: Shuttler duo of Nitesh-Tarun claim yet another gold for India. ANI News. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Who Is Nitesh Kumar: IIT Graduate Who Won Paris Paralympics 2024 Gold For India | Olympics News. NDTVSports.com. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 IIT graduate, gold in Paralympics: Nitesh Kumar living India's dream in Paris. India Today(2 September 2024). Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ↑ BWF Para-Badminton – BWF Para Badminton World Rankings. bwfpara.tournamentsoftware.com.
- ↑ Nitesh Kumar: The para shuttler from IIT chasing big dreams(25 April 2019).
- ↑ Para Badminton Tournament Structure Bids for Tournaments 2022 Onwards. Badminton World Federation(29 May 2022).
- ↑ BWF Para Tournamentsoftware. Badminton World Federation(11 July 2022).