Jayce
Daniel Bethell endured a heartbreaking loss in his fourth major final, coming up just short with a silver medal after facing an opponent he had never defeated in nine prior encounters. The pain was even greater knowing he missed a match point that could have secured the title.
In the 80-minute Men’s Singles Standing Lower (SL3) final, Bethell staged a remarkable comeback, climbing from 12-17 down to take a 20-19 lead. With the gold medal in sight, he seemed poised to finally claim victory after finishing as the runner-up in the previous Paralympics and two World Championships.
However, Nitesh Kumar, his opponent, anticipated his moves and capitalized on Bethell’s desperation in the final moments. A quick error on match point sealed Bethell’s fate.
Discipline proved to be the decisive factor. As the match neared its climax, Nitesh heard Bethell’s coach urging his player to stay disciplined — advice that Nitesh took to heart as well.
“I knew Daniel wanted to close it out quickly because he had been trailing most of the match,” Nitesh recalled. “I realized this was his moment to try and finish the game, but I waited for him to rush and make a mistake, which he did.”
“When the third game ended, I was a little confused, but I had heard the (British) coach tell Daniel to be disciplined, and I reminded myself that I needed to be even more disciplined. It paid off.”
“I still can’t believe it,” Nitesh continued. “It happened so fast. The score was neck-and-neck, 20-all, 21-all, and then, suddenly, two quick points, and I was the Paralympic champion. The feeling is indescribable, especially seeing the crowd, my coach, and all the people who came from India. It was an incredible moment.”
Bethell, who had battled back from a loss in the first game and deficits in both the second and third games, was left feeling devastated.
“I feel terrible right now. I came here for the gold, but I’m walking away with silver again, just like in Tokyo. My goal was to do better this time, but I didn’t manage it.”
“It’s all about making fewer mistakes,” Bethell explained. “SL3 is like a marathon in para-badminton, and you don’t have much room for errors. I regret not finishing the match the way I should have.”
“No amount of training or psychological preparation can fully get you ready for the moment when a gold medal is on the line. Winning that would have been surreal. It’s hard to describe, but I wish I could have changed the outcome. In the end, it all comes down to the mental game. It’s the hardest thing we face.”
Other
Sarina Satomi successfully defended her women’s singles WH1 gold medal after a thrilling one-hour match, defeating Sujirat Pookkham 18-21, 21-13, 21-18.
Cheng Hefang also retained her women’s singles SL4 title with a 21-14, 21-18 victory over Leani Ratri Oktila, repeating the result of their Tokyo 2020 Paralympic final.
Despite her singles loss, Oktila partnered with Hikmat Ramdani to defend their mixed doubles title, overcoming fellow Indonesians Fredy Setiawan/Halimatus Sadia 21-16, 21-15.
China’s Yang Qiuxia added another gold to her nation’s tally with a commanding 21-17, 21-10 win over Thulasimathi Murugesan in the women’s singles SU5 final.
