Unbroken in spirit, Kohli fan Nitesh tastes Paralympic glory

Inspired by the humility of fellow para shuttler Pramod Bhagat and the relentless dedication of star cricketer Virat Kohli, Nitesh began to rebuild his life.

Nitesh Kumar is now basking in glory of being a Paralympic champ but there was time when there was only gloom.

Nitesh's life took a tragic turn when he was 15 as he lost his leg in a train accident in Visakhapatnam in 2009.

Bedridden for months with hopes dwindling, despair consumed his mind and he struggled to find a path forward.

“My childhood has been a little different. I used to play football, and then the accident happened. I had to quit sports permanently and got into studies. But then sports came back into my life,” recalled Nitesh, who won the gold medal in the men's singles SL3 badminton final on Monday, defeating Great Britain's Daniel Bethell.

But an unbroken spirit helped him turn a new leaf.

He discovered badminton during his stint at the IIT-Mandi, and the sport became his sanctuary and source of strength. Inspired by the humility of fellow para shuttler Pramod Bhagat and the relentless dedication of star cricketer Virat Kohli, Nitesh began to rebuild his life.

"Pramod bhaiyya [Pramod Bhagat] has been an inspiration. Not just because of how skillful and experienced he is, but also because of how humble he is as a human being,” he said.

"I also admire Virat Kohli because the way he has converted himself into a fit athlete -- like how he used to be before 2013 -- and how he is now so fit and so disciplined."

The son of a navy officer, Nitesh had once aspired to wear the uniform himself.

"I was crazy about uniforms. I used to see my father in his (uniform), and I wanted to be in either sports or in a defense job like the Army or Navy,” he said.

Dreams of holding a job in defense were shattered after the accident, but a visit to the Artificial Limbs Centre in Pune realigned Nitesh's perspective.

He saw war veterans, who had lost limbs, pushing their limits at the Centre.

“I saw 40-45-year-old people playing football, cycling, and running on crutches. I told myself that if they can do that at that age, I can turn my life around,” he reflected.

Nitesh made his debut at the 2016 Nationals in Faridabad, winning a bronze while representing Haryana. The following year, he clinched silver in singles and bronze in doubles at Bengaluru, establishing himself in para-badminton.

His domestic success peaked at the 2020 Nationals, where he defeated Paralympic medalists Bhagat and Manoj Sarkar to win gold.

Watching Bhagat claim gold in Tokyo, Nitesh began to dream of his own Paralympic success.

And now the 29-year-old from Haryana has scripted his own lasting tale with a gold at the Paris Paralympics.

"I still don't feel it. May be when I go to the podium and the national anthem is played, it will sink in," Nitesh said.