Paralympic champion Nitesh Kumar says the joy of contributing a gold medal to India's tally at major international events remains the single most powerful motivator in his career — one that has already yielded a Paris Paralympics gold, multiple Asian Para Games titles, and four World Championship medals. The badminton star spoke openly about his ambitions, his rivalry with compatriot Pramod Bhagat, and the one prize still missing from his trophy cabinet.

The Drive Behind the Gold

Nitesh, who competes in the SL3 category, was recently crowned champion at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games in Men's Singles SL3, and also claimed a silver in the Mixed Doubles SL3-SU5 alongside Thulasimathi Murugesan. He is also the reigning Paralympic champion, having beaten Great Britain's Daniel Bethell at the Paris Paralympics.

'I think it's, of course, the love for the sport, you know, that I enjoy doing what I'm doing. It's not medal-oriented. It's always about growth,' Nitesh said. 'And then, of course, if I'm going to be at my best, of course, I have the capability of winning gold. And yeah, it makes me very happy if I turn out the results with a gold and then contribute a gold medal to the medal tally for India.'

The World Championship Gold That Keeps 'Pinching' Him

Despite his remarkable haul — a Paralympic gold, two Asian Para Games golds (Men's Singles and Men's Doubles), two World Championship silvers, and two World Championship bronzes — Nitesh acknowledged that a world title remains conspicuously absent. 'I have two silvers at the World Championships. I have two bronzes. I don't have a gold there. So yeah, it's the one thing that keeps pinching me somewhere back, you know, deep down,' he said.

He was careful, however, to frame this not as frustration but as fuel. 'If I don't look at the result perspective, I think my growth over the years has been wonderful. So my aim is mainly to continue this momentum when we head to the Paralympic Games. But of course, when it comes to the world championship, that is what my target is — to have my one medal, which is missing in my cabinet,' he added.

Reversing the Hangzhou Defeat Against Pramod Bhagat

One of the defining moments at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games was Nitesh's victory over Pramod Bhagat in the Men's Singles SL3 final — a direct rematch of the Hangzhou Para Games final three years ago, which Bhagat had won. Nitesh attributed the turnaround to patience and mental resilience rather than a radical change in game plan.

'Nothing particular as such because we have been playing each other multiple times all year long in the circuit. But I think, yeah, definitely got a learning from the previous edition that it's not finished until it's finished. And he's always going to come back stronger until it's finished,' Nitesh said. He described his strategy as building pressure in the opening game and staying composed as the match tightened, telling himself not to repeat the mistake he made in Hangzhou.

Eyes on Los Angeles: Hoping for an All-India Final

Looking ahead to the Los Angeles Paralympics, where he will defend his gold medal, Nitesh expressed a hope that both he and Pramod Bhagat qualify — and potentially set up an all-India final that, in his view, would ease the medal pressure on India as a whole.

'When I was heading to the Paris Paralympics, I had a target that I have to go out and defend the title which Pramod bhaiya won at Tokyo. It was not about, you know, I have to win gold, or I have to beat Bethell. For me, it was just like, you know, the gold medal should stay with India,' he explained.

'Coming up, the LA games — me and Pramod bhaiya both available there. If we can make it an all-India final, I think the final will kind of not be so pressurised for us. It's just about going out and repeating the same result for India at the games,' he added. He noted, however, that qualification remains the immediate priority before any thought of podium finishes in Los Angeles.

With the World Championship gold and a second Paralympic title both firmly in his crosshairs, Nitesh Kumar shows no signs of slowing down — and neither does his desire to keep the gold with India.