Thulasimathi, Nitesh lead India’s gold rush as badminton bag 16 Asian medals

India ended their badminton campaign at the Asian Para Games on a high on Friday, collecting three gold medals to end with 16 podium finishes. Paris Paralympic champion Nitesh Kumar and debutant Naveen Sivakumar claimed gold in men’s singles, while Thulasimathi Murugesan enjoyed a memorable outing with one gold and two silver medals.

The Indian contingent ended the competition with three gold, five silver and eight bronze medals. Their total was lower than their performance at the 2022 edition in Hangzhou, where India secured 21 medals, including four gold, four silver and 13 bronze.

ASIAN PARA GAMES UPDATE OCTOBER 23

Nitesh started India’s gold rush by defeating compatriot Pramod Bhagat 21-18, 21-16 in the men’s singles SL3 final. The victory secured another continental title for the Paris Paralympic champion, while Bhagat, the 2018 and 2022 gold medalist, had to settle for silver this time.

“The last time I was close, I was leading 19-16 in the third set and then I lost. So to win it this time and to win again in straight sets against Pramod is obviously very special and I think it’s one of the rarest things to see,” said Nitesh after his singles triumph.

Nitesh returned to the court alongside Thulasimathi in the SL3-SU5 mixed doubles final. However, the Indian duo could not add another gold to their collection and lost 21-11, 19-21, 14-21 against Indonesia’s Leani Ratri Oktila and Hikmat Ramdani.

Naveen secured another singles title for India by beating Indonesia’s Fredy Setiawan in the SL4 men’s singles final. The Indian won 21-9, 21-17 in 36 minutes to claim gold on his Asian Para Games debut.

“It was my first Asian Games but I have met all my opponents in previous tournaments. So I prepared as if it was a normal tournament, I shouldn’t be under pressure,” said Naveen.

“My goal is to win every title at a major tournament. This is my first success… I want to achieve success at the World Championships and the Olympics as well.”

The third gold medal was won by Thulasimathi and Manasi Joshi in women’s doubles SL3-SU5. The Indian pair beat China’s Yang Qiuxia and Xiao Zuxian 21-16, 21-13 to finish on the podium.

Thulasimathi, a silver medalist from the Paris Paralympics, also reached the SU5 women’s singles final but could not overcome Yang, losing 18-21, 11-21. Her silver in this tournament, combined with a runner-up finish in the mixed doubles alongside Nitesh, took her medal tally to three for the day.

“We’ve been communicating more and more. And we’ve also been able to coordinate during practice. We used to think we have to stay on the court, it’s going to be tiring,” Thulasimathi said.

“It’s going to be tiring in the matches. Three events in a day, so we just focus on staying on the pitch and playing, playing, training, training, that’s it,” she added.

“We had to be aggressive, not give an easy point. China is a very tough team. I think we won against them once. And we lost against them the other time in the World Cup and in the Asian Championship.”

India’s Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan added another silver to the home account in the SH6 women’s singles category. In the final, she lost 12-21, 13-21 to China’s Li Fengmei.

Naveen’s gold medal was yet another milestone in his career that saw him make steady progress on the international circuit. He won the Uganda Para Badminton International in 2022 and finished second in the 2026 BWF Para Badminton World Championships in Bahrain. He also secured silver at the French Para Badminton International this June.

For Bhagat, the men’s singles SL3 final ended hopes of extending his remarkable run at the tournament. After winning gold at the 2018 and 2022 Asian Para Games, the Indian had to settle for silver as Nitesh won the title.

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