World Para Athletics Championships: Nishad Kumar Wins Gold In Men’s High Jump; India At Fourth In Medal Tally

Hyderabad: Nishad Kumar inked history on Friday with his maiden gold in the World Para Athletics Championships. The athlete who was runner-up in high jump T47 at the Tokyo and Paris Paralympics and also the last two World C'ships in 2023 and 2024, was composed throughout the competition. He cleared all his marks in the first attempt itself.

After it was confirmed that Nishad had secured gold, he went for a world record but was unable to clear the distance of 2.18 meters. He beat three-time world and Paralympic champion Roderick Townsend of the USA, who cleared 2.03 m and finished third behind Turkey's Abdullah Ilgaz.

After his historic victory, Nishad expressed his joy, saying he had manifested winning the gold by writing it in his diary.

"I have been waiting for this day for a year. I have been working very hard for this day. Today is the day. I have given my best. It's God's will. No one can stop me. I already have silver medals. I have kept it on my rack. I haven't seen them since I kept it on my rack. I have been waiting for this gold medal for many years. I was ready for it. I had written in my diary that I will do it (win gold) today,” he said.

Simran Sharma was another Indian to win a medal in the Para World Championships on Friday as she won a gold medal in the 100m. She won the 100m T12 final with a personal best of 11.95 seconds. She had won the gold in the last edition in the 200m event and also clinched bronze in the 2024 Paralympics.

India have now won a total of 15 medals, including 6 gold, 5 silver and 4 bronze medals. India is at fourth position in the medal tally, with Brazil (12 gold, 18 silver and 7 bronze) at the top, with China (9 gold, 16 silver and 13 bronze) and Poland (8 gold, 2 silver and 5 bronze) occupying second and third place, respectively.