Praveen Kumar aiming for gold medal at World Para Athletics Championships 2025
He looks to achieve a personal best of 2.10m
He has previously secured a bronze medal at the championships
22-year-old Paralympic high jump champion Praveen Kumar is poised for his fourth appearance at the World Para Athletics Championships, which begins in India on Saturday, September 27. He aims to secure his first-ever gold medal in the T64 event by achieving a personal best of 2.10 metres, a performance he believes will bring him applause in front of the Indian supporters.
Praveen Kumar's Championship History
Praveen Kumar first competed in a World Para Athletics Championships in 2019 at the age of 16, when it was hosted in Dubai. The high-jumper narrowly missed a bronze medal then, finishing fourth in the T64 competition. The T64 event specifically caters to athletes with moderately affected movement in one lower leg or those lacking one or both legs below the knee.
Kumar took bronze in the 2023 edition held in Paris and then finished fourth again in 2024 at Kobe, Japan. "This will be my fourth World Para Athletics Championships and I have won a bronze," Kumar said in an interview with PTI. "My aim is to do 2.10m, which will be my personal best. With that mark, I think I should win the gold in front of the home crowd."
"However, I will be happy with any medal if I do my personal best of 2.10m. Currently, my personal best is 2.08m," he added.
Overcoming Injury Crisis
Kumar was born with a congenital condition resulting in both legs being weak and one shorter than the other. He hails from Govindgarh village in Jewar tehsil, Gautam Budh Nagar, a region near the event's location in Delhi-NCR. He attended Pragyan Public School, Jewar, until the 12th standard and pursued graduation at Motilal Nehru College in Delhi. His impairment affects the bones connecting his hip to his left leg.
He explained that an injury hindered his performance at the 2024 championships, a key reason for his fourth-place finish with a jump of 1.94 metres. "I had an injury in my take-off leg," Kumar explained. "Because of that, I couldn't jump properly."
He recovered from the injury before the Paris Paralympics, where he won a gold medal. "Now, by the grace of God, I don't have any injury. So I am focusing on my training," he added. "This time, I feel things are going well with me. I will try to win gold medal." Kumar also secured a silver medal at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021 and claimed gold at the Asian Para Games in 2023.
Kumar will be one of the 100-plus Paris Paralympics medallists taking part in the upcoming World Para Athletics Championships 2025.
Early Challenges And Parental Support
By his own admission, Kumar describes himself as a "stubborn" man, a trait that proved advantageous throughout his sporting journey. As a child, he disregarded critical comments about his physical disability and proved his doubters wrong.
"When I was in 9th grade, I participated in high jump for the first time," he recounted. "It was a school sports day and I won my first gold medal competing against able-bodied athletes."
His progress in the sport was initially met with discouragement from teachers. "They said, you are disabled. You shouldn't do sports." He received similar advice in many situations. However, he questioned, "Why can't I do this?" He decided to pursue a sports career, adding, "I am happy to do what I like. I shouldn't regret later that I couldn't do what I wanted."
His parents offered consistent support throughout his journey. Kumar conveyed to his parents, "I thought if I don't make it in sports, then I will come to my village and do farming, or whatever my father will get me to do, I will do that." They responded, "'It's okay. Do what you want to do. We are with you. If you have any problems or if you need anything, just let us know. That will be fine."
Transition To Para Sports
Kumar continued competing with able-bodied athletes, securing a silver in a CBSE cluster competition and then gold at the CBSE National School Games. He moved to para sports in 2018, representing India for the first time that year. He has observed a significant change in public awareness regarding para sports over the last decade.
"Devendra Jhajharia won his first Paralympics gold medal in 2004. We didn't know about that," Kumar said. "But in 2016, when Jhajharia won another gold medal, many people got to know about Para sports."
Medal counts have certainly climbed. "We got 19 medals in Tokyo Paralympics in 2021; we increased the count to 29 in Paris." This demonstrates substantial progress. Kumar explained, "Earlier, people used to think how they can go further in para sports. But now, they don't need to ask anyone. They can directly come and try."
(With PTI Inputs)
