Indian Para-Badminton Stars Nitesh Kumar, Sukant Kadam Reach Paris Paralympics Semifinals
Indian para-badminton players Nitesh Kumar and Sukant Kadam have secured their spots in the semifinals of the men’s singles SL3 and SL4 categories, respectively, at the Paris Paralympics.
Nitesh, a silver medalist at the Asian Para Games in 2021, dominated his last group match against Thailand’s Mongkhon Bunsun, winning 21-13, 21-14. This victory earned him the top spot in Group A, with Bunsun also qualifying as the second-place finisher.
In the SL3 class, which caters to players with severe lower limb disabilities, the top two finishers from each of the two groups advance to the semifinals. Nitesh’s compatriot Manoj Sarkar, a bronze medalist at the Tokyo Paralympics, defeated China’s Yang Jianyuan 21-1, 21-11 in a match that had no bearing on the semifinals qualification.
Sukant Kadam joined his fellow Indian Suhas Yathiraj in the semifinals of the men’s singles SL4 class, which is for athletes with lower limb impairments and minor balance issues. Kadam defeated Thailand’s Teamarrom Siripong 21-12, 21-12 to top Group B. This was his second consecutive win in the three-player group.
In the women’s singles SL3 category, Mandeep Kaur advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Australia’s Vinot Celine Aurelie 21-23, 21-10, 21-17. Kaur finished second in Group B, with Nigeria’s Bolaji Mariam topping the group and securing a semifinal berth.
In mixed doubles, the Indian pair of Suhas Yathiraj and Palak Kohli lost their opening match in the SL3 category to the top-seeded Indonesian duo of Hikmat Ramdani and Leani Ratri Oktila. Nitesh Kumar and Thulasimathi Murugesan also suffered a defeat in the SL3 mixed doubles, losing to the French team of Faustine Noel and Lucas Mazur. However, Nithya Sivan Sumathy and Sivarajan Solaimalai registered a victory in the SL3 mixed doubles, defeating Thailand’s Natthapong Meechai and Chai Saeyang.
