Home Entertainment 18-year-old Praveen Kumar claims silver in men’s high jump T64 event at...

18-year-old Praveen Kumar claims silver in men’s high jump T64 event at Tokyo Paralympics.

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Indian athlete Praveen Kumar bagged the silver medal in the men’s high jump T64 event at the Tokyo Paralympics. The 18-year-old took the country’s haul to 11 at the games. Competing in his debut Paralympics, Kumar has set a new Asian record with a 2.07m jump. Great Britain’s Jonathan Broom-Edwards, who notched up his season’s best of 2.10m won the gold. Meanwhile the bronze went to Rio Games champion Maciej Lepiato of Poland who produced an effort of 2.04m.

“I can’t explain how I feel. This jump was ecstatic. This is my first Paralympic Games and I am waiting to see what lies ahead,” he said after the superb performance. “My confidence was boosted immensely after I jumped 2m. It was a little low before, but after I jumped over that 2m mark, it just skyrocketed. Now, I’ve done 2.07m, and that is a massive leap. I credit my coach with this feat,” he added.

The Noida resident has now become the youngest medal winner in the Indian contingent here. This was also Kumar’s personal best performance and his first major medal since taking up the sport in 2019.