Karnal, Oct. 25 -- Celebrations erupted at Karnal's Karan Stadium on Saturday as badminton coach Nitesh Kumar (Arjuna awardee) won a gold and a silver medal at the Japan Asian Para Games. The 29-year-old defeated Odisha's Pramod Bhagat 21-18, 21-16 in a clash between two 2024 Paralympic gold medallists for men's singles SL3 gold medal on Friday. "I am very happy. Last time, I was close, leading 19-16 in the third set, but lost. This time, winning in straight sets against Pramod is, of course, very special. I think it's one of the rarest of rare achievements," Nitesh said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated both. In a post on X, the PM office shared, "Indian para badminton shines bright! Congratulations to Nitesh Kumar on winning gold and Pramod Bhagat on securing silver in men's singles SL3. A wonderful achievement for both athletes." Later, Kumar along with Thulasimathi Murugesan won the silver medal in the mixed doubles SL3-SU5 event. They lost to Indonesia's Leani Ratri Oktila and Hikmat Ramdani in the final by 21-11, 19-21, 14-21. Nitesh's father, Vijender Singh, noted that the Indian pair started strongly by taking the opening game 21-11. However, their opponents, who had been unbeaten for 13 consecutive matches, fought back to claim the second game 21-19 and the decider 21-14. According to the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the SL3 category in para-badminton is designated for players with significant lower-limb impairments who compete on a half-court. SL4 is for athletes with lower-limb impairments who possess better walking and running balance, SU5 is for upper-limb impairments, and SH6 is for athletes of short stature. The Karnal shuttler suffered permanent leg damage in an accident in 2009 but overcame to excel in sports. A native of Charkhi Dadri and an alumnus of IIT-Mandi, he has served as a senior coach at Karan Stadium since 2018 and resides with his family in Sector 6. Fellow athletes and students at the stadium described Kumar as a dedicated sportsman who begins coaching aspiring shuttlers as early as 4 am. His father and students celebrated the milestone by distributing sweets, though many expressed disappointment over the lack of live streaming for the matches. The shuttler's mother, Prem Kaur, said the family is proud of him. "He loves to have kheer and churma. I'll prepare both when he returns. There has been a stream of people visiting us," she said....