Dan Bethell earned his second successive Paralympic silver after being beaten in an epic final in Paris.
The 28-year-old went down 14-21, 21-18, 21-23 against India’s Kumar Nitesh in an enthralling 80-minute clash between the top two seeds at La Chapelle Arena.
Bethell lost out to Pramod Baghat three years ago in Tokyo and his compatriot Nitesh managed to keep gold in India’s hands after prevailing in a deciding game which turned into a rollercoaster ride.
“It feels devastating,” said Bethell. “I came here for that gold. I got the silver in Tokyo and it was my ambition from the start to go one better but I just couldn’t get it over the line.
“I never like losing, particularly in a Paralympics when I’ve already gone through losing a Paralympic final.
“I’ve got to take some pride at getting through to the final as a lot of athletes dream of it and to get on that podium.”
It’s a silver medal for Dan! 🥈 What a Paralympic Games you’ve made us all proud 🔥🦁🇬🇧❤#Paris2024 #ParalympicsGB pic.twitter.com/mCcXpnYk2E
— Badminton England (@BadmintonEnglnd) September 2, 2024
The rallies were long and they were momentous, with the La Chapelle Arena on the edge of their seats as the longest of the match soared to an incredible 122 shots before Nitesh eventually took the point.
Bethell pushed ahead to a 7-5 lead but Nitesh pulled him back and went on to take opener 21-14.
Bethell fell behind in the second before a late surge in the second game saw him overcome a four-point deficit and roar back into contention, thanking his family for giving him the push he needed.
“It felt amazing being in there with the atmosphere,” he said. “Having my friends and family there compared to Tokyo was brilliant and they really helped me get back into the match when I was that far down.
“Half court singles is the marathon event of Paralympic para badminton as there isn’t a lot of room to hit winning shots so that was the key thing.
“My coaches, credit to them, recognised that the game plan wasn’t working and were telling me the whole way through but I couldn’t execute it the way I needed to.”
With all to play for, Nitesh established leads of 17-12 and 19-17 in the decider but a determined Bethell rallied to take the game down to the wire, with both players having match points in a breathless encounter before Nitesh eventually won the day.
“You can do a lot of training and do some psychology work but nothing can prepare you for that and to have that gold medal point,” he said.
“It’s a surreal experience to go through and the only way to get better at it is to experience it. It’s a shame I couldn’t convert the one I had. I was just trying to keep myself focussed as at the end, it was all mental.”
