High jumper Praveen Kumar, who won gold at Asian Para Games 2026, has won silver and gold medals at Tokyo and Paris Paralympics Games earlier.
Published: October 21, 2026, 10:51 AM IST
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Indian high jumpers Praveen Kumar and Banti(Photo: PCI)
Asian Para Games 2026: It was double delight for India early on Wednesday morning at the Asian Para Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya in Japan as high jumpers Praveen Kumar and Banti secured a 1-2 finish in the men’s high jump T64 event while Rakeshbhai Bhatt claimed bronze in the men’s 100m T37 eventPraveen achieved the top spot with a new Games record in the event.
Praveen, who is a two-time Paralympic medallist, won gold medal with a new Asian Para Games record jump of 2.05 metres, while Banti took silver with a personal best of 1.92 metres to complete a memorable double podium finish for India.
Praveen had initially secured the gold medal by clearing 1.95 metres, equalling the existing Games recordHe subsequently cleared 2.00 metres on his first attempt before scaling 2.05 metres on his third attempt to establish a new Games record.
Banti, on the other hand, also delivered an impressive performance, clearing 1.92 metres to secure the silver medal and ensure India’s dominance in the event.
RECORD-BREAKING DOUBLE PODIUM!
Heartiest congratulations to TOPS athlete Praveen Kumar for defending his Gold with a phenomenal New Games Record of 2.05m, and to Banti for soaring to Silver with a brilliant personal best of 1.92m in the Men’s High Jump T64 at the Asian Para Games 2026.
#Cheer4Bharat #AsianParaGames2026
— Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) October 21, 2026
Who is Praveen Kumar?
Praveen, the 23-year-old hails from Govindgarh in Uttar Pradesh, was born with a lower-limb impairmentHe developed an interest in athletics at a young age and went on to specialise in high jump eventWorking under coach Dr Satyapal Singh, he established himself as one of India’s star performers in the men’s high jump T64 event, competing internationally as an athlete in the T44 classification.
Praveen bagged his first Paralympic medal at the Tokyo Paralympic Games 2020 (held in 2021), winning the silver medal in men’s high jump T64 with a leap of 2.07 metres, then an Asian recordHe continued his rise by winning the gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games 2023.
At the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, he secured the gold once again with a jump of 2.08 metres, another landmark achievement in his careerHe subsequently won bronze in men’s high jump T64 at the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi, clearing 2.00 metres.
In recognition of his achievements, Praveen received the Arjuna Award for 2021 and was later conferred the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award for 2024, India’s highest sporting honour.
T64 and T44 athletes compete together in a combined event as World Para Athletics groups lower-limb classes together to ensure enough competitors and fair competition in the eventT64 is for athletes who run with a prosthetic lower limb, while T44 is for athletes with lower-limb impairments, who run using two anatomical limbs without prostheses.
Rakeshbhai Bhatt wins bronze in men’s 100m T37
India added another medal on the track through Rakeshbhai Bhatt, who clocked a personal best of 11.50 seconds to finish third in the men’s 100m T37 finalSaudi Arabia’s Ali Alnakhli got the gold medal in 11.31 seconds, while Indonesia’s Saptoyogo Purnomo claimed silver in 11.35 seconds.
In para-swimming, Himanshu Nandal qualified for the men’s 100m breaststroke SB11 final after clocking 1:21.52 in the heats on WednesdayHimanshu advanced as the fourth-fastest swimmer, having previously won bronze in the men’s 400m freestyle S11 event.
