Nitesh Kumar Triumphs at Asian Para Games, Leading India's Badminton Success

Nitesh Kumar Secures Gold in Men's Singles SL3

In a thrilling all-Indian final at the 2026 Asian Para Games held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, para-badminton athlete Nitesh Kumar emerged victorious against fellow countryman Pramod Bhagat, clinching the gold medal in the men's singles SL3 category. Nitesh won the match in straight sets, finishing 21-18, 21-16, while Pramod took home the silver, marking a remarkable one-two finish for India in this event.

Additional Golds for India in Badminton and Archery

India's success continued as Naveen Sivakumar secured another gold medal in the men's singles SL4 badminton final, defeating Indonesia's Fredy Setiawan with scores of 21-9, 21-17 in just 36 minutes. In the para archery segment, the duo of Harvinder Singh and Vijay Sundi triumphed in the men's recurve doubles, overcoming China with a score of 5-1. After a tied first set at 35-35, they dominated the subsequent sets, winning 37-36 and 38-36 to secure their victory.

India's Medal Tally and Other Achievements

In addition to the gold medals, India also earned a silver in the women's singles SH6 badminton final, where Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan faced defeat against China's Li Fengmei, with scores of 12-21, 13-21. In para athletics, Nimisha Chakkungaparambil achieved silver in the women's long jump T47 event, recording a jump of 5.37 meters, while Sri Lanka's Dhananjana set a Games record with a leap of 5.52 meters. Earlier, Pramod Bhagat also secured silver in the men's 1500m T46 event, clocking 4:09.65, maintaining his medal from the previous 2022 Hangzhou Para Games. Meanwhile, Praveen Sharma finished fourth in the men's discus throw F11 event with a best throw of 30.64 meters, as Iranian athletes dominated the podium. With these latest achievements, India has amassed a total of 98 medals, including 24 gold, 32 silver, and 42 bronze, placing them fourth in the overall standings.