Nitesh defeated Daniel Bethell of Great Britain 21-14, 18-21, 23-21 to win the gold medal
To reach the finals, he defeated Daisuke Fujihara of Japan in straight sets (21-16, 21-12) in the men’s singles SL3 semifinal
Born in Rajasthan, Nitesh is an IIT graduate and currently lives in Haryana
A train accident in 2009 had him lose his leg and left him bed-ridden for months
During his days at IIT Mandi, he started playing badminton and got inspired by the para-shuttler Pramod Bhagat
SL3 class players, like Nitesh, have severe lower limb disabilities and play on a half-width court
Nitesh began his competitive journey in 2016 at the nationals in Faridabad, where he secured a bronze medal
In 2017, he was the winner of the Irish Para-Badminton International
At the BWF Para Badminton World Championships 2022, he won a silver medal
Nitesh has been in a good form since last two years, winning multiple championships. Earlier this year, he won a bronze at the 2024 BWF Para-Badminton World Championships
“I have been performing consistently, so I had the self-belief that I would make the finals,” he told PTI after the semi-final match