Credits: X
Indian athlete Praveen Kumar clinched India’s record-breaking sixth gold medal in the men’s high jump T64 final at Paris Paralympics 2024. On Friday, September 6, Kumar registered a brilliant jump of 2.08m to win his second and India’s 11th medal in the history of the Paralympics. With his medal, the 21-year-old athlete from Noida became the third Indian high jumper in the current edition to win a medal after Sharad Kumar and Mariyappan Thangavelu.
The USA’s Derek Loccident clinched silver by recording a jump of 2.06m while Temurbek Giyazov of Uzbekistan took the bronze home with his jump of 2.03m. Kumar’s gold surpassed India’s five-gold success at the Tokyo 2022 Para Games. India’s overall medal tally rose to 26 medals in the current edition of the quadrennial tournament.
Notably, T64 is for athletes whose movement is moderately affected in the lower leg or the absence of one leg or both below the knee. On the other hand, T44, under which Praveen is categorised is for those whose movement is affected at a low or moderate degree in lower leg.
Praveen Kumar’s journey from Tokyo 2021 silver to Paris 2024 gold
Praveen was born in Govindgarh, Noida, and became the youngest para-athlete to win a Tokyo Paralympics medal, as he won a silver with a jump of 2.07m. The athlete was born with a shorter leg and faced several challenges initially including his inferiority with peers. Kumar mentored under Dr. Satyapal Singh, a para-athletics coach, who helped him shift his focus to the high jump.
The athlete went on to win a gold in the 2022 Asian Para Games and set a new Asian record with a jump of 2.05 metres. Earlier in 2019 World Para Athletics Junior Championship in Nottwil, Switzerland and clinched a gold at the 2021 World Para Athletics FAZZA Grand Prix in Dubai. Praveen’s recent achievement includes a bronze at the 2023 World Athletics Championship.
