Paris [France], September 2 : After clinching a gold medal in the ongoing Paris Paralympics, shuttler Nitesh Kumar revealed that his parents got teary-eyed during their conversation following his win on Monday.
Nitesh, who discovered his passion for badminton during his time at IIT-Mandi, added a second gold to India's medal tally.
He ousted Great Britain's second-seeded Daniel Bethell to clinch a gold medal in the men's singles SL3 category.
Following his triumph, Nitesh revealed that his parents got emotional during their call and said in a video posted by the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) on social media, "I had a quick call with my parents, and I could see tears in their eyes. They were hardly speaking anything."
After the game, Nitesh said that the feeling of winning the gold hadn't sunk in. But after seeing the national flag go high in the air, the Indian para-shuttler got the jitters and felt he had achieved something for the country.
"Now I can feel that I have done something for the country. When our national anthem started, and the Indian flag went up, I got goosebumps. I feel amazingly proud of myself," he stated.
In a game that went right down the wire, Nitest edged past Daniel with a 21-14, 18-21, 23-21 win to claim his stake at the top of the podium.
The entire game was a closely fought affair, with both shuttlers displaying a blend of ruthless aggression and defensive prowess. With both shuttles playing in a vertical half-court, rallies were quite longer.
Nitesh got his hands on the coveted gold after Daniel placed the shuttle outside the court. The crowd erupted with joy as Nitesh animatedly celebrated his win.
After settling the historic gold, both shuttles shook hands and exchanged jerseys with each other.
Nitesh arrived in the final after defeating Japan's Daisuke Fujihara in straight sets, 21-16, 21-12, in the semifinals.
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