New Delhi: India’s Nishad Kumar bagged his second straight silver medal at the Paralympics on Sunday after finishing second in the final of the men’s high T47 event at the ongoing Paris Games. Nishad produced his season-best effort of 2.04m to finish behind USA’s Roderick Townsend on the podium. Townsend bagged the gold medal with a stellar effort of 2.12m on his very first attempt.
Having won a silver medal on his Paralympics debut in Tokyo three years back, Nishad was aiming for the elusive gold in Paris. However, he ended up missing out once again in the final. Nonetheless, Nishad joined an elite list of Indian para-athletes to have won successive medals at the Paralympics as he made the country proud with his season-best effort in the final.
From losing his hand at six to winning two Paralympic medals
Nishad was only six when he lost his right hand in a freak accident. However, losing his arm didn’t deter his spirit as he defied all odds to win back-to-back medals at the Paralympics. It has been nothing short of an incredible journey for the 24-year-old, who was arguably one of India’s strongest medal hopes heading into the Paris Paralympics 2024.
Born in Badaun village in Himachal Pradesh’s Una district, Nishad comes from a farming family. He was familiar with the fields from a very young age and would spend a lot of his time helping his family. However, he suffered a horrific accident at the age of six which changed his fate completely. Nishad’s right hand got stuck in a fodder-cutting machine and his arm had to be amputated after the freak accident.
Despite losing his right arm at such a young age, Nishad continued to pursue his athletics dream and actively participated in multiple events ranging from sprints to high jump at his school. He competed in the general category for a long time and also went on to win a silver medal in the high jump in the sub-junior category at the 2013 National Games in Patiala.
It was only in 2017 that Nishad started competing in para-athletics after training under Naseem Ahmad, who also coached India’s Golden Boy Neeraj Chopra in javelin throw during the initial stage of his career. Nishad also met coach Vikram Chaudhary and there was no looking back for the high jumper after he received professional help from the government.
He announced himself at the National Para Athletics Championship in Panchkula with a silver medal in the men’s high jump. He went on to win a bronze medal in the World Championships in Dubai in the T47 category before bagging a silver medal on his Paralympics debut in the same category in Tokyo 2020.
Nishad won back-to-back silver medals in the men’s high jump T47 category at the 2023 and 2024 World Championships while also clinching a gold medal at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou in 2022. Nishad has won a total of three medals at the World Championships and two medals at the Paralympics in his career so far.
High jumper Nishad Kumar had to get his right arm amputated at the age of six after a freak accident. However, he defied all odds to to bag his second silver medal for India at the Paralympics. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
