Tokyo Paralympics: Nishad Kumar wins silver medal in men's high jump T47

The 21-year-old cleared 2.06m on his second attempt to equal his own Asian record. He failed all three attempts at 2.09m.

India's Nishad Kumar competes during the men's high jump T47 at the 2020 Paralympics on Sunday.

India's Nishad Kumar on Sunday clinched the silver medal in men's high jump T47 at the Tokyo Paralympics.

The 21-year-old cleared 2.06m on his second attempt to equal his own Asian record. He failed all three attempts at 2.09m. India's Ram Pal Chahar cleared a personal best of 1.94m to finish fifth.

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Kumar shared the medal with USA's Dallas Wise. Wise's compatriot Roderick Townsend won gold, beating his own world record with 2.15m.

Hailing from Una in Himachal Preadeh, Kumar met with an accident at the age of eight that resulted in the loss of his right hand. A couple of years later, he tried out high jump in his school ground and competed at the 2017 Schools Nationals with able-bodied athletes and finished 10th with 1.75m. Later, he moved to Panchkula to train at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium. And in 2019, he made his international para-athletics debut at the Fazza GP in Dubai and won the gold there. His personal best improved to 2m at the 2019 Para Worlds where he won a bronze and along with it secured a quota at the Tokyo Paralympics.

He tested positive for COVID-19 twice but overcame that and set personal bests twice in 2021, improving to 2.07m. That got him a spot in the Indian team for the Tokyo Paralympics.