Para-Badminton National C'ship gold will give me lot of confidence for Asian Games, says Nitesh Kumar

World No 7 Nitesh Kumar, who won two gold medals in the recently concluded fourth Para-Badminton National Championship, feels the victories against Tokyo Paralympic medallist will give a lot of confidence for next year's Asian Games and World Championships.

Haryana's Nitesh Kumar doubled his gold tally after defeating star shuttlers Pramod Bhagat and Manoj Sarkar in the Para-Badminton National Championship here in Bhubaneswar. Nitesh along with his partner Tarun defeated World No 1 Pramod Bhagat and Manoj Sarkar in straight sets in the doubles finals.

"More than physical strength, mental toughness is needed when you playing against experienced players (Pramod and Manoj). The two important wins here will give me a lot of confidence for Asian Games and World Championships in 2022," Nitesh Kumar told ANI after his men's doubles finals win. Nitesh Kumar on Sunday first defeated Paralympic Gold Medalist Pramod Baghat in the men's singles SL3 semi-finals and then got over the line against Manoj Sarkar in the summit clash. The shuttler from Harayan kept believing in his game and played the match with a positive mindset.

"It was a difficult game and beating them was a tough task since they are the champions. I have been losing very close matches to Pramod till now but this time I made it. We have been playing against each other for a long time, so we know each other's game and weak points," said Nitesh Kumar. "Pramod is world no 1, he is the champion so people expected him to win. Even I thought that Pramod would beat me but I played with a positive mindset. I was under pressure but then stuck to taking each point at a time," he added.

Nitesh Kumar had won the bronze medal at the Asian Para Games 2018 in men's doubles and had also put on a stellar show in Uganda Para-Badminton International 2021. "I have been playing in international tournaments since 2016, so experience of playing in every tournament counts. In April, I played in Dubai, where I got a lot of exposure. Also, the Uganda Para-Badminton tournament did help me prepare for National Championships," he signed off.