By Diptayan Hazra

Karnal (Haryana) [India], June 30 (ANI): India delivered its best-ever performance at the Asian Para-Badminton Championship 2025 in Thailand, returning home with an impressive haul of 27 medals, four golds, 10 silvers, and 13 bronzes. The standout performer was Paris Paralympic gold medalist Nitesh Kumar, who clinched a remarkable three gold medals, underlining his dominance and composure under pressure.

Speaking about the mental aspect of competing in gold-medal matches, Nitesh shared insights into how he has evolved with experience, 'It's not a lot of difference for me, but of course, sometimes when things don't work our way, we start to doubt ourselves. That pressure of coming so close and losing the gold medal gets into your head and things get very difficult.''Over the years, playing so many finals, I just prepare myself not to get overexcited or not to get too much ahead of time and just focus point by point and then winning it. So yeah, I think it adds on to some pressure, but I actually enjoy playing the gold medal matches now because there's a lot of mental thing involved and then just fighting. I think that brings the best form out of it,' he added.

The medal tally not only set a new benchmark but also marked India's return to the continental stage after an eight-year gap. Reflecting on the journey, Nitesh said, 'It was a very good tournament and a great result for us. The last edition was in 2016, I don't remember the exact count but that was actually my second international tournament, and I lost in the quarterfinals.'

'We missed an edition due to COVID, and now coming back with 27 medals is a massive achievement. Personally, I feel we could've done slightly better with the number of gold medals but overall, the team environment was positive, competitive, and supportive, which made this campaign very fruitful. We'll look to build on this for future championships,' he noted.

In the men's doubles SL3-SL4 category, Nitesh paired up with Sukant Kadam. The duo battled through a thrilling final against fellow Indians Jagadesh Dilli and Naveen Sivakumar, emerging victorious in a hard-fought three-setter that ended 21-17, 11-21, 21-11.

'Sukant and I decided to pair up just before the tournament. So yeah, initially, one or two matches, we were focusing on gelling up and getting comfortable together and to know how we are playing because over the years, we might have changed in a different way for playing,' Nitesh said.'I had a tactical plan for the final, the hall was windy, so choosing the right side was crucial. Interestingly, I did the opposite of what I'd done all tournament and chose the tougher side first. We managed to win a close set there, but lost the second due to overconfidence; however, we stayed positive. By the third set, we were up 11-3 at the interval and knew we just had to stay composed to seal the win. It was a sweet victory.'

India also bagged bronze in the same category, with Mohammad Arwaz Ansari and Abhijeet Sakhuja securing a spot on the podium.

Nitesh's form remained unstoppable in the men's singles SL3 category, where he defeated Indonesia's rising star Muh Ai Imran in straight sets.

'There was different pressure in the final because I was playing someone new to the international scene who was unbeaten and had defeated top players. I started by overthinking, expecting too much, but once I settled into my game, it got easier,' he said.

In the mixed doubles SL3-SU5 event, India achieved a clean sweep of the podium. Nitesh, alongside Thulasimathi Murgesan, clinched the gold in a dominant straight-sets win over Ruthick Raghupathi and Manasi Joshi.

With three gold medals to his name, Nitesh Kumar once again proved why he is one of the most decorated para-badminton players of his generation. (ANI)