Nitesh and Antil Lead India to Historic Golds at Paralympics

A determined Kumar Nitesh, inspired by the country's armed forces and cricket star Virat Kohli, won a gold medal on his debut at the Paralympic Games. His victory was followed by javelin throw champion Sumit Antil and India's para-badminton players, making it a remarkable day for India. These achievements have kept India on track for a record-breaking medal haul.

Nitesh, a 29-year-old engineering graduate from IIT-Mandi, lost his left leg in a train accident in 2009. He triumphed in the men's singles SL3 category, defeating Britain's Daniel Bethell 21-14, 18-21, 23-21 in a final that lasted over an hour. "I have lost in such situations against him and didn't want to make the same mistakes... I told myself I should keep fighting for each point," Nitesh said of his rival.

Sumit Antil's Record-Breaking Performance

Later in the evening, Sumit Antil became the first Indian man to defend a Paralympic title by winning the javelin throw F64 final with a Games record of 70.59m. The 26-year-old from Sonipat, Haryana, bettered his previous Paralympic best of 68.55m set in Tokyo. His world record stands at 73.29m. The F64 category includes athletes with lower limb impairments who compete with prosthetics or have leg length differences.

Before Antil's performance, Nitesh's gold was celebrated alongside silver medals from discus thrower Yogesh Kathuniya (F56) and para-shuttlers Thulasimathi Murugesan (SU5) and Suhas Yathiraj (SL4). Manisha Ramadass also secured a bronze in para-badminton (SU5).

Yogesh Kathuniya's Silver Medal

Yogesh Kathuniya clinched his second consecutive Paralympic silver medal with a season-best effort of 42.22m in discus throw. The 27-year-old achieved this distance on his first attempt, adding to his silver from Tokyo three years ago. Kathuniya developed Guillain-Barre syndrome at age nine, which caused muscle weakness and paralysis. With support from his mother Meena Devi, who learned physiotherapy to aid his recovery, he overcame these challenges.

India also tasted success in archery as Sheetal Devi and Rakesh Kumar won bronze in the mixed team compound open competition. They defeated Italy's Eleonora Sarti and Matteo Bonacina 156-155. This is only the second time India has won a medal in Paralympics archery; Harvinder Singh won an individual bronze at Tokyo three years ago.

Para-Badminton Achievements

Shuttler Thulasimathi Murugesan competed in her maiden Paralympics and secured a silver medal after losing to China's Yang Qiuxia in the final. Her classification covers upper limb impairment that may or may not affect the playing hand. Manisha Ramadass outplayed Danish third seed Cathrine Rosengren to claim bronze.

Top-seeded Suhas Yathiraj was outplayed by Frenchman Lucas Mazur in the SL4 men's singles final. The SL4 classification covers lower limb impairments affecting walking and running balance. Suhas was born with a congenital deformity in his left ankle that affects his balance.

In India's last badminton match, Nithya Sre Sivan won bronze in the women's singles SH6 third-place playoff match. The 19-year-old defeated Indonesia's Rina Marlina 21-14, 21-6, marking her maiden appearance at the Games.

India has so far secured 14 medals at these Games and aims to surpass the 19 medals achieved in Tokyo. Nitesh's gold was India's second of these Games after Avani Lekhara's top finish in the women's 10m air rifle SH1 event last week.

The country now finds itself among the top-20 nations at the Paralympics, thanks to these outstanding performances across various sports disciplines.