He might be standing on the cusp of Paralympic glory now, but there was a time when Nitesh Kumar was bedridden for months — hopes dwindling and spirit broken. Nitesh’s life took a tragic turn when he was 15 as he lost his leg in a train accident in Visakhapatnam in 2009.
Confined to a bed, despair consumed his mind and struggled to find a path forward.
“My childhood has been a little different. I used to play football, and then the accident happened. I had to quit sports permanently and got into studies. But then sports came back into my life,” recalled Nitesh, who reached the badminton SL3 final with a commanding straight-game win over Japan’s Daisuke Fujihara.
He discovered badminton during his stint at the IIT-Mandi, and the sport became his sanctuary and source of strength. Inspired by the humility of fellow para shuttler Pramod Bhagat and the relentless dedication of star cricketer Virat Kohli, Nitesh began to rebuild his life.
“Pramod bhaiyya [Pramod Bhagat] has been an inspiration. Not just because of how skillful and experienced he is, but also because of how humble he is as a human being,” he said.
“I also admire Virat Kohli because the way he has converted himself into a fit athlete — like how he used to be before 2013 — and how he is now so fit and so disciplined.”
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