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Tokyo Paralympics: High jumper Nishad Kumar clinches silver; bags second medal for India

India's Nishad Kumar bagged the second medal for the country in the ongoing Tokyo Paralympics as he won a silver medal in the high jump T-47 category on Sunday (August 29).

Tokyo Paralympics: High jumper Nishad Kumar clinches silver; bags second medal for India

Tokyo, August 29: Nishad Kumar bagged the second silver medal for India in the day in the ongoing Tokyo Paralympics as he won a silver medal in the high jump T-47 category on Sunday (August 29). He finished second tied with USA's athlete Dallas Wise.

In the final round, Nishad Kumar started by clearing 1.94m successfully in the first attempt. He then took a couple of attempts to clear the 1.98m mark and went at the top.

The Indian later faced stiff competition from USA's Dallas Wise and Roderick Townsend - who went on to clinch the gold and created the World Record with a successful jump of 2.15m. He bettered his own World Record.

Nishad later attempted 2.06m and cleared it successfully to secure a medal for himself. As he was tied with USA's Wise, both the athletes were awarded a silver medal.

Congratulating Nishad for his achievement, PM Narendra Modi tweeted, "More joyful news comes from Tokyo! Absolutely delighted that Nishad Kumar wins the Silver medal in Men's High Jump T47. He is a remarkable athlete with outstanding skills and tenacity. Congratulations to him. #Paralympics."

However, another Indian high jumper Rampal Chahar failed to finish the podium in the finals as he finished fifth.

Nishad Kumar who hails from Una (Himachal Pradesh) has a limb deficiency. The 22-year-old high jumper is missing his right hand. A student of Physical Education from Lovely Professional University, Nishad started competing in para-athletics in 2009 at the age of 10.

His personal best of 2m at Dubai World Para Athletics Championships in 2019, helped Kumar book his place in the Tokyo games. His jump had won him the bronze medal in the Men's High Jump T-47.

He comes from a humble family of farmers. His parents work in the fields to make a living. He was eight years old when his right hand got cut by a grass-cutting machine on his family's farm. However, he did not let this incident deter his spirits. Two years later, he started practicing the high jump on his school grounds.

He competed in school national along with able-bodied athletes in 2017 where he finished 10th with a jump of 1.75m. After completing his schooling in the same year, he moved to Panchkula to train at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium. It was here that he blossomed as an athlete and went on representing India for the first time at the 2019 Fazza Para Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai where he secured a bronze medal.

Earlier this year in February, Nishad had set an Asian record with his jump of 2.06m at the 12th Fazza International Championships for World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai. That jump helped him claim a gold medal in his category in Dubai.

Earlier in the day, table tennis player Bhavina Patel started India's account in the Games by winning a silver medal. She became the first Indian paddler to secure a medal at the Paralympics. She's only the second Indian woman to bag a medal in the flagship event after Deepa Malik - who won a silver in shot put at Rio Games.

The 34-year-old Patel's impressive run at the Games ended with a fighting 7-11 5-11 6-11 loss to China's Ying Zhou, a two-time gold medallist, in the women's singles Class 4 summit clash which lasted 19 minutes.

Story first published: Sunday, August 29, 2021, 18:26 [IST]
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