# Kumar Nitesh

Nitesh Kumar (born 30 December 1994) is an Indian para-badminton player. He won a gold at the 2024 Paris Paralympics in the men's singles SL3 category. 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.

## 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. He resides at Karnal, Haryana and is supported by sports NGO, Olympic Gold Quest.

## 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.
He became the world number 3 in the SL3 category on 14 June 2022.

### Coaching career

In 2019, he started working as Senior Badminton Coach at the Department of Sports and Youth Affairs, Haryana.

## Achievements
### Paralympic Games

Men's singles SL3
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2024 | Porte de La Chapelle Arena, Paris, France | Daniel Bethell | 21–14, 18–21, 23–21 | Gold |

### World Championships

Men's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2022 | Yoyogi National Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan | Pramod Bhagat | 19–21, 19–21 | Silver |
| 2024 | Pattaya Exhibition and Convention Hall, Pattaya, Thailand | Daniel Bethell | 18–21, 22–20, 14–21 | Bronze |
Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2019 | St. Jakobshalle, Basel, Switzerland | Tarun Dhillon | Pramod Bhagat Manoj Sarkar | 21–14, 15–21, 16–21 | Silver |

### Asian Para Games

Men's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2022 | Binjiang Gymnasium, Hangzhou, China | Pramod Bhagat | 20–22, 21–18, 19–21 | Silver |
Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2018 | Istora Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta, Indonesia | Anand Kumar Boregowda | Jeon Sun-woo Joo Dong-jae | 16–21, 11–21 | Bronze |
| 2022 | Binjiang Gymnasium, Hangzhou, China | Sukant Kadam | Dwiyoko Fredy Setiawan | 9–21, 21–19, 22–20 | Gold |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2022 | Binjiang Gymnasium, Hangzhou, China | Thulasimathi Murugesan | Fredy Setiawan Khalimatus Sadiyah | 17–21, 12–21 | Bronze |

### BWF Para Badminton World Circuit (12 titles, 11 runners-up)

The BWF Para Badminton World Circuit – Grade 2, Level 1, 2 and 3 tournaments has been sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation from 2022.
Men's singles
| Year | Tournament | Level | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2022 | Spanish Para Badminton International II | Level 2 | Pramod Bhagat | 21–17, 17–21, 17–21 | Runner-up |
| 2022 | Brazil Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Daisuke Fujihara | 21–15, 18–21, 21–18 | Winner |
| 2022 | Dubai Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Pramod Bhagat | 21–19, 17–21, 17–21 | Runner-up |
| 2023 | Brazil Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Pramod Bhagat | 21–12, 21–13 | Winner |
| 2023 | Bahrain Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Pramod Bhagat | 16–21, 17–21 | Runner-up |
| 2023 | Western Australia Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Manoj Sarkar | 21–14, 21–14 | Winner |
| 2024 | Spanish Para Badminton International II | Level 2 | Manoj Sarkar | 21–17, 21–14 | Winner |
| 2024 | Spanish Para Badminton International I | Level 1 | Oleksandr Chyrkov | 21–11, 21–13 | Winner |
| 2024 | 4 Nations Para Badminton International | Level 1 | Daniel Bethell | 11–21, 7–21 | Runner-up |
Men's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Level | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2022 | Spanish Para Badminton International II | Level 2 | Sukant Kadam | Pramod Bhagat Manoj Sarkar | 19–21, 21–11, 11–21 | Runner-up |
| 2022 | Brazil Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Tarun Dhillon | Mohammad Arwaz Ansari Deep Ranjan Bisoyee | 21–13, 17–21, 18–21 | Runner-up |
| 2022 | Bahrain Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Tarun Dhillon | Mongkhon Bunsun Siripong Teamarrom | 21–13, 21–7 | Winner |
| 2023 | Spanish Para Badminton International II | Level 2 | Tarun Dhillon | Pramod Bhagat Sukant Kadam | 20–22, 21–12, 9–21 | Runner-up |
| 2023 | Thailand Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Tarun Dhillon | Pramod Bhagat Sukant Kadam | 21–18, 14–21, 19–21 | Runner-up |
| 2023 | Bahrain Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Tarun Dhillon | Pramod Bhagat Sukant Kadam | 24–22, 9–21, 14–21 | Runner-up |
| 2023 | Canada Para Badminton International | Level 1 | Tarun Dhillon | Nilesh Gaikwad Nehal Gupta | 21–12, 21–8 | Winner |
| 2023 | Canada Para Badminton International | Level 1 | Tarun Dhillon | Guillaume Gailly William Roussy | 21–13, 21–12 | Winner |
| 2023 | Canada Para Badminton International | Level 1 | Tarun Dhillon | Deep Ranjan Bisoyee Manoj Sarkar | 21–9, 17–21, 21–16 | Winner |
| 2023 | Canada Para Badminton International | Level 1 | Tarun Dhillon | Pramod Bhagat Sukant Kadam | 11–21, 21–16, 21–16 | Winner |
| 2022 | Bahrain Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Tarun Dhillon | Mongkhon Bunsun Siripong Teamarrom | 21–13, 21–7 | Winner |
| 2023 | Spanish Para Badminton International II | Level 2 | Tarun Dhillon | Pramod Bhagat Sukant Kadam | 20–22, 21–12, 9–21 | Runner-up |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Level | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2023 | Brazil Para-Badminton International | Level 2 | Thulasimathi Murugesan | Hikmat Ramdani Leani Ratri Oktila | 18–21, 9–21 | Runner-up |
| 2023 | Uganda Para Badminton International | Level 3 | Thulasimathi Murugesan | Naveen Sivakumar Palak Kohli | 21–12, 21–11 | Winner |
| 2023 | Western Australia Para Badminton International | Level 2 | Thulasimathi Murugesan | Fredy Setiawan Khalimatus Sadiyah | 15–21, 22–20, 21–19 | Winner |
| 2024 | Spanish Para Badminton International II | Level 2 | Thulasimathi Murugesan | Chirag Baretha Mandeep Kaur | 21–11, 21–16 | Winner |
| 2024 | Spanish Para Badminton International I | Level 1 | Thulasimathi Murugesan | Lucas Mazur Faustine Noël | 22–20, 21–15 | Winner |

### International Tournaments (7 runners-up)

Men's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2018 | Uganda Para Badminton International | Umesh Vikram Kumar | 21–17, 15–21, 15–21 | Runner-up |
| 2020 | Peru Para Badminton International | Pramod Bhagat | 18–21, 21–15, 14–21 | Runner-up |
| 2021 | Dubai Para Badminton International | Pramod Bhagat | 17–21, 18–21 | Runner-up |
Men's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2018 | Dubai Para Badminton International | Fredy Setiawan | Ukun Rukaendi Hary Susanto | 17–21, 15–21 | Runner-up |
| 2019 | Turkish Para Badminton International | Tarun Dhillon | Dwiyoko Fredy Setiawan | 14–21, 15–21 | Runner-up |
| 2019 | Irish Para Badminton International | Tarun Dhillon | Pramod Bhagat Manoj Sarkar | 21–13, 18–21, 21–23 | Runner-up |
| 2021 | Dubai Para Badminton International | Sukant Kadam | Pramod Bhagat Manoj Sarkar | 18–21, 16–21 | Runner-up |