Nagoya: India’s Nitesh Kumar and Naveen Sivakumar clinched gold medals in men’s singles SL3 and SL4, respectively in the badminton competition at the Asian Para Games here Friday.
Nitesh produced a clinical performance to beat compatriot Pramod Bhagat 21-18, 21-16 in a clash between two Paralympic gold medallists.
“Very happy to win the Asian Games gold medal. Last time I was close, I was leading 19-16 in the third set, and then I lost. So this time, winning it and again winning in two sets against Pramod is, of course, very special, and I think it’s one of the rarest of the rare things to see,” said Nitesh, the Paris Paralympic gold medallist.
Making his debut at the Games, Naveen then showcased his prowess to beat Indonesia’s Fredy Setiawan 21-9, 21-17 in 36 minutes to claim the top prize.
“I am feeling very happy and proud. Actually, this was the moment I have been waiting for 3-4 months,” he said.
Naveen had won gold at the Uganda Para Badminton International in 2022 and claimed silver at the 2026 BWF Para Badminton World Championships in Bahrain. He also won silver at the French Para Badminton International in June 2026, underlining his consistency against international opposition.
“It was my first Asian games, but I had met all my opponents in previous tournaments. So I prepared myself like, it was a normal tournament, I should not be in pressure,” he said.
“My goals was I should achieve every major tournaments title, like World Championship, Asian Games, and Olympics. This is my first achievement … I want to achieve success in World Championship and Olympics as well.”
Bhagat, who had won gold in the 2018 and 2022 editions, had to settle for silver.
“It doesn’t feel that good because I had won two consecutive gold medals at the Asian Games, and I was trying to win a third gold here. I had everything, but today some of my strokes went wrong and my judgment was slightly off, which is why I am contenting myself with just a silver,” said the Tokyo Paralympics gold medallist.
India’s Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan also signed off with silver after losing 12-21, 13-21 to China’s Li Fengmei in the women’s singles SH6 final.
Earlier, the 24-year-old Thulasimathi Murugesan, a silver medallist at the Paris Paralympics, lost 18-21, 11-21 to China’s Yang Qiuxia in the women’s singles SU5 final at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium.
Murugesan, however, remained in contention for two gold medals. She will partner Nitesh in the mixed doubles SL3-SU5 final against Indonesia’s Leani Ratri Oktila and Hikmat Ramdani. Later, she will team up with Manasi Girishchandra Joshi to take on China’s Yang Qiuxia and Xiao Zuxian in the women’s doubles SL3-SU5 final.
In para badminton, SL3 is for players with significant lower-limb impairments who compete on a half court, while SL4 is for athletes with lower-limb impairments who have better walking and running balance. SU5 is for players with upper-limb impairments, while SH6 is for athletes with short stature.
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