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Praveen Kumar has now two Paralympics medals to his name. (Getty Images)
Praveen Kumar was born with a short leg and initially he developed a liking for volleyball before shifting his focus to high jump.
Praveen Kumar came to Paris Paralympics with an aim to change the colour of his medal that he won in Tokyo. And he successfully achieved that by winning the gold medal in men’s high jump T64 event of the Paris Paralympics on Friday.
With an area record of 2.08m, the 21-year-old topped the field comprising six jumpers and help India to a historic tally of six gold medals at a single edition of a Paralympics. At Tokyo, Indian contingent pocketed five gold medals.
- Date of Birth: May 15, 2003
- Residence: Noida (Uttar Pradesh)
- Event: Men’s high jump T44/64
- Training Base: SAI JLN Stadium, Delhi
- Impairment: T64 (lower limb/s competing with prosthesis affected by limb deficiency and leg length difference)
Praveen, born in Noida (Uttar Pradesh), has achieved notable success on the international stage and became the youngest para-athlete to win a medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. He secured a silver medal in the men’s high jump T64 category with an impressive jump of 2.07 meters.
Praveen’s journey to become a para-athlete was fraught with challenges. He was born with a short leg and to overcome self-doubt and insecurities, turned towards sports and took a shining for volleyball.
Major Achievements
- Paris Paralympics (2024) – Gold Medal
- Tokyo Paralympics (2020) – Silver Medal
- Asian Para Games (2022) – Gold Medal (AR)
- World Para Athletics Championship (2023) – Bronze Medal
- World Para Athletics Championship (2019) – Silver Medal
- Fazza, Dubai Grand Prix (2022) – Silver Medal
Dr. Satyapal Singh, a para-athletics coach, recognised Praveen’s potential and he then shifted his focus to high jump.
This decision changed his life and he went on to win a gold medal at the Asian Para Games 2022, breaking the Asian record with a jump of 2.05 meters.
Praveen’s accolades also include a silver medal from the World Para Athletics Junior Championship in 2019 held in Nottwil, Switzerland, and a gold medal with an Asian record from the World Para Athletics FAZZA Grand Prix in 2021 in Dubai.
He also won a bronze medal at the World Para Athletics Championship 2023.
Read More: Who is Paris Paralympics Gold Medallist Praveen Kumar? – News18
