New Delhi, Sep 4 (IANS) 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
aaa/bsk/
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.