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]