Praveen Kumar Clinches India’s 6th Gold Medal At Paris Paralympics 2024, Creates Asian Record In Men’s High Jump

New Delhi: India added sixth gold medal to their tally as Praveen Kumar finished on top of the rostrum in the lads’s high jump T64 event at Paris Paralympics 2024 with Asian record effort of two.08m on Friday. This changed into India’s 26th medal overall as Kumar bettered his silver medal from Tokyo Paralympics three years ago.

The 21-year-old from Noida, who changed into born with a brief leg, produced a season-best jump in the six-athlete field to complete with gold. USA’s Derek Loccident claimed the silver with a best jump of two.06m while Uzbekistan’s Temurbek Giyazov, who notched a personal best 2.03m, finished 1/3.

T64 is for athletes with movement moderately affected in one lower leg or the absence of one or both legs lower than the knee. While T44, lower than which Praveen is categorised, is for athletes with movement affected at a low or moderate degree in one lower leg.

Born in Govindgarh, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, he achieved exceptional success on the international stage, notably becoming the youngest para-athlete to win a medal on the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Praveen’s journey to prove to be a para-athlete changed into fraught with challenges. He first and foremost struggled with feelings of inferiority when compared with his peers. To strive against his insecurities, he engaged in sports with friends and discovered a fondness for volleyball.

However it, his life took a pivotal turn when he participated in a high jump event at an able-bodied athletics competition, which exposed him to the possibilities reachable for athletes with disabilities. Less than the guidance of Dr. Satyapal Singh, a para-athletics coach who recognized Praveen’s potential, he shifted his center of attention to high jump. This decision proved fruitful, as he went on to win a gold medal on the Asian Para Games 2022, breaking the Asian record with a jump of two.05 meters.

Praveen’s accolades also consist of a silver medal from the World Para Athletics Junior Championship in 2019 held in Nottwil, Switzerland, and a gold medal with an Asian record from the World Para Athletics FAZZA Grand Prix in 2021 in Dubai. Most recently, he won a bronze medal on the World Para Athletics Championship 2023, further solidifying his status as a leading athlete in his category, qualified for the Paris 2024 Paralympics.