On Friday, the Men’s High Jump T64 final at the Paris Paralympics saw a different scene. 21-year-old Noida boy Praveen Kumar had only one thing on his mind: breaking his personal best. Without worrying about the medal, he heeded his coach’s advice and just tried to do better than himself. And what happens? With this mantra, Praveen not only broke his personal best but also gave India its sixth gold medal at the Paralympics. This achievement is also special because, with this, India surpassed the record of five golds at the Tokyo Paralympics.
Comeback from injury: The story of a champion
Praveen’s victory is even more spectacular because his situation was very different until a few months ago. He finished fourth at the Kobe Para Athletics World Championships in May 2024. There he had crossed the height of just 1.94 meters. Later, it was found out that he had suffered an injury about three months ago, due to which he was unable to give his 100%. But Praveen did not give up. He got the injury treated along with his coach and started preparing again. He said, “After the World Championship, we got an MRI done, and it was found that there was a gap of 1 mm in the ankle. We immediately got it treated and recovered in 15 days.”
Great performance in Paris: Battle of every centimeter
Looking at Praveen’s performance in Paris, it did not seem that he was struggling with an injury a few months ago. He dominated from the very beginning. Starting from 1.89 meters, he kept on crossing every height in the first attempt. When the bar reached 2.06 meters, Praveen expressed his happiness for the first time. Then came the jump of 2.08 meters, which was his new personal best and Asian record. About this jump, Praveen said, “I just closed my eyes, and pictures of my parents and coach appeared in front of me.”
Road to gold medal: hard work and dedication
Praveen’s hard work and dedication are behind this victory. He said that before the Paralympics, he had jumped 2.08 and 2.10 meters in the practice session. His goal was that all the jumps up to 2.00-2.05 meters should be perfect; not a single one should be missed. Although he could not achieve the target of 2.10 meters, his performance was still excellent. When he could not cross 2.10 meters after trying three times, he looked disappointed for a while. But soon he realized what he had achieved—an Olympic gold medal and a new personal best.
New star of Indian para athletics
This victory of Praveen Kumar is not only his but the victory of the entire Indian Paralympics. He has shown that with diligence and determination, everything is possible. His story is an inspiration for every person who wants to fulfill his dreams despite the challenges. This achievement of Praveen has further strengthened India’s performance in the Paralympics. This sixth gold medal is a new record for India, which raises hopes of even better performance in the times to come. Now that Praveen has achieved this height, what will be his next goal? Will he be able to fulfill his dream of 2.10 meters? Indian sports lovers will eagerly wait for his next performance.
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