Nishad Kumar wins silver at World Para Athletics Championships

Nishad won the silver medal with his sixth and final attempt in the event with a 2.09m leap. Townsend of the USA won the gold medal, while Wise won bronze.

FILE PHOTO: Paralympic silver medallist Nishad Kumar in action in the men’s high jump event in the 36th National Games in Gandhinagar. | Photo Credit: V.V. KRISHNAN/The Hindu

Indian Paralympian and high jumper Nishad Kumar won a silver medal at the ongoing World Para Athletics Championships in Paris on Wednesday.

Nishad won the silver medal with his sixth and final attempt in the event with a 2.09m leap.

Townsend of the USA won the gold medal, while Wise won the bronze medal.

Nishad, who won the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics, was second till the fifth round after he successfully attempted a jump of 2.07m. He further strengthened his case with an improved leap in the final attempt to secure a Paris 2024 spot.

The Himachal Pradesh athlete won the bronze medal in 2019.

Yogesh Kathuniya became the third Indian to grab a quota for the 2024 Paris Paralympics after securing a silver medal in discus throw in the F56 category at the World Para Athletics Championships

The 26-year-old Indian, who had finished second best at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021, claimed the silver medal with a best effort of 43.17m in the men’s discus throw F56 final.

In F56 classification, athletes have full arm and trunk muscle power. Pelvic stability is provided by some to full ability to press the knees together. Brazil’s Batista dos Santos Claudiney won the gold with an effort of 46.07, while Slovakia’s Laczko Dusan bagged the bronze with a throw of 42.70.

(With inputs from PTI)