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]
| Nitesh Kumar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 30 December 1994 Bas Kirtan, Rajasthan, India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residence | Karnal, Haryana, India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 2016–present | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Handedness | Right | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Men's singles SL3 Men's doubles SL3–SL4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | Men's singles 3 (2022) Men's doubles 2; with Tarun Dhillon (2022) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current ranking | Men's singles: 1 Men's doubles: 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BWF profile | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Early life and education
editKumar 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
editHe 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
editIn 2019, he started working as Senior Badminton Coach at the Department of Sports and Youth Affairs, Haryana.[7][4]
Achievements
editParalympic Games
editMen's singles SL3
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Porte de La Chapelle Arena, Paris, France | 21–14, 18–21, 23–21 |
World Championships
editMen's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Yoyogi National Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan | 19–21, 19–21 | ||
| 2024 | Pattaya Exhibition and Convention Hall, Pattaya, Thailand | 18–21, 22–20, 14–21 |
Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | St. Jakobshalle, Basel, Switzerland |
21–14, 15–21, 16–21 |
Asian Para Games
editMen's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Binjiang Gymnasium, Hangzhou, China | 20–22, 21–18, 19–21 |
Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Istora Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta, Indonesia |
16–21, 11–21 | |||
| 2022 | Binjiang Gymnasium, Hangzhou, China |
9–21, 21–19, 22–20 |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Binjiang Gymnasium, Hangzhou, China |
17–21, 12–21 |
BWF Para Badminton World Circuit (12 titles, 11 runners-up)
editThe 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 | 21–17, 17–21, 17–21 | ||
| 2022 | Brazil Para Badminton International | Level 2 | 21–15, 18–21, 21–18 | ||
| 2022 | Dubai Para Badminton International | Level 2 | 21–19, 17–21, 17–21 | ||
| 2023 | Brazil Para Badminton International | Level 2 | 21–12, 21–13 | ||
| 2023 | Bahrain Para Badminton International | Level 2 | 16–21, 17–21 | ||
| 2023 | Western Australia Para Badminton International | Level 2 | 21–14, 21–14 | ||
| 2024 | Spanish Para Badminton International II | Level 2 | 21–17, 21–14 | ||
| 2024 | Spanish Para Badminton International I | Level 1 | 21–11, 21–13 | ||
| 2024 | 4 Nations Para Badminton International | Level 1 | 11–21, 7–21 |
Men's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Level | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Spanish Para Badminton International II | Level 2 | 19–21, 21–11, 11–21 | |||
| 2022 | Brazil Para Badminton International | Level 2 | 21–13, 17–21, 18–21 | |||
| 2022 | Bahrain Para Badminton International | Level 2 | 21–13, 21–7 | |||
| 2023 | Spanish Para Badminton International II | Level 2 | 20–22, 21–12, 9–21 | |||
| 2023 | Thailand Para Badminton International | Level 2 | 21–18, 14–21, 19–21 | |||
| 2023 | Bahrain Para Badminton International | Level 2 | 24–22, 9–21, 14–21 | |||
| 2023 | Canada Para Badminton International | Level 1 | 21–12, 21–8 | |||
| 21–13, 21–12 | ||||||
| 21–9, 17–21, 21–16 | ||||||
| 11–21, 21–16, 21–16 | ||||||
| 2022 | Bahrain Para Badminton International | Level 2 | 21–13, 21–7 | |||
| 2023 | Spanish Para Badminton International II | Level 2 | 20–22, 21–12, 9–21 |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Level | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Brazil Para-Badminton International | Level 2 | 18–21, 9–21 | |||
| 2023 | Uganda Para Badminton International | Level 3 | 21–12, 21–11 | |||
| 2023 | Western Australia Para Badminton International | Level 2 | 15–21, 22–20, 21–19 | |||
| 2024 | Spanish Para Badminton International II | Level 2 | 21–11, 21–16 | |||
| 2024 | Spanish Para Badminton International I | Level 1 | 22–20, 21–15 |
International Tournaments (7 runners-up)
editMen's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Uganda Para Badminton International | 21–17, 15–21, 15–21 | ||
| 2020 | Peru Para Badminton International | 18–21, 21–15, 14–21 | ||
| 2021 | Dubai Para Badminton International | 17–21, 18–21 |
Men's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Dubai Para Badminton International | 17–21, 15–21 | |||
| 2019 | Turkish Para Badminton International | 14–21, 15–21 | |||
| 2019 | Irish Para Badminton International | 21–13, 18–21, 21–23 | |||
| 2021 | Dubai Para Badminton International | 18–21, 16–21 |
References
edit- ^ "Player Profile".
- ^ Sportstar, Team (2 September 2024). "Paralympics 2024: Nitesh Kumar wins gold in para-badminton men's singles SL3". sportstar.thehindu.com. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ "Asian Para Games: Shuttler duo of Nitesh-Tarun claim yet another gold for India". ANI News. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ a b c "Who Is Nitesh Kumar: IIT Graduate Who Won Paris Paralympics 2024 Gold For India | Olympics News". NDTVSports.com. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ a b "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. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ "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.
External links
edit- Kumar Nitesh at BWFBadminton.com
- Kumar Nitesh at BWFPara.TournamentSoftware.com (alternate link)
- Kumar Nitesh at the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympics (alternate link)