Nishad Kumar Wins Silver in Men's High Jump at Paris 2024 Paralympics

Paris: Nishad Kumar added to India’s medal tally at the Paris 2024 Paralympics by winning a silver medal in the men's high jump T47 final late Sunday night. This achievement marks India's seventh medal at the ongoing Paralympic Games.

The 24-year-old Indian athlete easily cleared a height of 2.04 meters but was unable to surpass the 2.08-meter mark. Despite this, Kumar set a new Asian record with a jump of 2.06 meters, securing the silver medal in his first Paralympic appearance. Russia's Georgii Margiev took home the bronze medal.

The gold medal was claimed by USA’s Roderick Townsend, who cleared 2.12 meters on his first attempt. Townsend is no stranger to success, having also won the Paralympic gold in 2021 and the gold medal at the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China, in the T47 high jump event.

India's overall performance at the Paris Paralympics has been commendable, with a total of seven medals: one gold, two silver, and three bronze. On Sunday, Indian para-sprinter Preeti Pal made history by winning a bronze medal in the 200-meter T35 event with a time of 30.01 seconds, becoming the first Indian woman athlete to win two medals in track and field events at either the Paralympics or Olympics.

Earlier, Preeti also secured a bronze medal in the T35 100-meter sprint with a personal best time of 14.21 seconds, further highlighting India's impressive achievements at the Games.