In a major development, the Indian contingent continues to perform at the Para Asian Games 2026. Nitesh Kumar and Naveen Sivakumar clinched the gold medal for India in the men’s singles badminton final in the SL3 and SL4 events, respectively.
Nitesh Kumar faced compatriot Pramod Bhagat in the summit clash, winning 21-18, 21-16 in a match between two Paralympic gold medallists. After the game, Nitesh Kumar also took centre stage, talking about his gold medal win and how delighted he is among the many other medal victories.
"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," Nitesh Kumar was quoted as saying by NDTV.
Furthermore, Pramod Bhagat, who had to settle for silver, was left heartbroken and revealed that he was in it to win another gold but had to settle for the second spot. "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 judgement was slightly off, which is why I am contenting myself with just a silver," Bhagat said.
Naveen Sivakumar defeated Fredy Setiawan to clinch the gold
Furthermore, Naveen Sivakumar also won the gold medal for India in the men’s singles badminton SL4 final. Taking on Indonesia’s Fredy Setiawan, Sivakumar put forth a brilliant showing in the clash and registered a 21-9, 21-17 win, defeating him in just 36 minutes to bring home the gold medal for India.
The win for Sivakumar was India’s 24th gold medal victory at the Para Asian Games 2026, and it could be interesting to see how many more golds the Indian contingent can add to their tally at the event.
Also Read:
Shailesh Kumar sets Asian Para Games record as India sweep men's high jump T63 medals
