Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended heartfelt congratulations to Nishad Kumar for securing a silver medal in the Men’s High Jump T47 event at the Paris Paralympics.
This achievement marks Nishad’s second Paralympic medal, following his silver performance at the Tokyo Games.
The 24-year-old athlete, a reigning Para Asian Games champion, cleared a height of 2.04 meters in the final, narrowly missing gold, which went to the USA’s Roderick Townsend.
Nishad’s earlier jump of 2.06 meters at Tokyo had earned him a silver, highlighting his consistent prowess in high jump events.
Prime Minister Modi lauded Nishad’s performance on social media, stating, “Congrats to @nishad_hj for his remarkable achievement in winning a Silver medal in the Men’s High Jump T47 event at the #Paralympics2024! He has shown us all that with passion and determination, everything is possible.”
Congrats to @nishad_hj for his remarkable achievement in winning a Silver medal in the Men’s High Jump T47 event at the #Paralympics2024! He has shown us all that with passion and determination, everything is possible. India is elated. #Cheer4Bharat pic.twitter.com/SBzJ3nZUDz
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 2, 2024
Nishad Disappointed By Silver Medal; Laments Training Success Gap
Despite his commendable performance, Nishad expressed a sense of disappointment.
Sharing with Olympics.com, he stated, “Last Tuesday, I cleared 2.10m in practice, and today I stopped at 2.04. So I am disappointed. I have been losing to (Townsend) in Tokyo (2020 Paralympics), in World Championships, and here at another Olympics, so the silver is not giving me so much joy but pinching at me.”
Nishad also reflected on his consistent training jumps of 2.07 and 2.08 meters, lamenting the gap between his training success and the competition outcome.
Nishad’s silver medal contributes to India’s tally of seven medals at the Paris Paralympics, including three in athletics. Alongside Nishad, Preethi Pal added to the athletics haul with bronze medals in the 100m and 200m T35 events.
Avani Lekhara and Mona Agarwal clinched gold and bronze in the 10m air rifle shooting standing SH1 class, while Manish Narwal and Rubina Francis won silver and bronze in the 10m air pistol SH1 events, adding to India’s medal tally in para shooting.
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