Praveen Kumar on Friday won India’s 6th gold medal at Paris Paralympics when he topped the podium in the Men’s High Jump T64 event.
USA’s Derek Loccident claimed the silver with a best jump of 2.06m. Poland’s Maciej Lepiato and Uzbekistan’s Temurbek Giyazov cleared 2.03m, finished joint third and won two bronze medals in this event.
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Praveen was born in Govindgarh, Noida, Uttar Pradesh and achieved success at an early age, becoming the youngest para-athlete to win a medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. There, he secured a silver medal in the men’s high jump T64 category with an impressive jump of 2.07m.
The high jumper was born with a short leg, initially struggling with feelings of inferiority and in order to fight these insecurities, he started taking part in various sports before finding passion for volleyball.
However, 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 available for athletes with disabilities.
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Under the guidance of Dr. Satyapal Singh, a para-athletics coach who recognized Praveen’s potential, he shifted his focus to high jump. This decision proved the right one as Praveen went on to win gold at the Asian Para Games 2022, breaking the Asian record with a jump of 2.05m.
He also won a silver medal at the World Para Athletics Junior Championship in 2019 held in Nottwil, Switzerland ase well as 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 at the World Para Athletics Championship 2023 which helped him qualify for the Paris 2024 Paralympics.
Praveen Kumar of India celebrates after winning gold. (Reuters) 
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