Praveen Kumar soared to victory in the men’s high jump T64 class with an Asian record at the Paris 2024 Paralympics on Friday, winning India’s sixth gold medal, the highest ever in one edition of the Games.
The 21-year-old Indian para-athlete cleared 2.08m in the final for his second Paralympic medal. He won the silver medal at Tokyo 2020 with a clearance of 2.07m, which was also an Asian record three years ago.
Praveen, who competes under the T44 class, went for 2.10m at the Stade de France on Friday but could not clear the bar.
All of Praveen’s clearances, starting from 1.89m to 2.08m, came off on first attempts.
USA’s Derek Loccident crossed 2.06m for the Paralympic record in the T64 class while Uzbekistan’s Temurbek Giyazov (T44) claimed the bronze medal with a personal best of 2.03m.
Athletes under both T44 and T64 sports classes competed in the final on Friday. These two classes are designated for athletes with limb deficiencies in the legs, such as amputations or missing or shortened limbs from birth.
Praveen Kumar was born with a short leg. He started with a passion for volleyball but opted for the high jump after giving his able-bodied opponents stiff competition in a junior event.
“My coach and my family are the keys to my victory,” Praveen said. “And also the whole country of India. I’m happy with my jumps today. My only secrets are hard work, training and keeping a good diet. That is all.”
Praveen was India’s youngest para-athlete to win a medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics in 2021. Last year, he won the gold medal at the Asian Para Games with the then-Asian record and a bronze at the World Para Athletics Championship 2023.
