PM Modi 'proud' of 18-year-old Praveen Kumar for clinching silver in Paralympics High Jump

Prime Minister Narendra Modi came forward and congratulated Praveen Kumar for winning the silver medal at the Tokyo Paralympics 2020 Men's high jump T44 final event on Friday. Praveen Kumar won the medal after having bettered his personal best and set a new Asian record with 2.07m. Kumar competed with Great Britain's Jonathan Broom-Edwards for the gold medal and fell just short of clearing the 2.10m.

Praveen Kumar wins silver: PM Modi congratulates 18-year-old

Taking to the micro-blogging site, PM Modi wrote that he was 'proud' of Praveen Kumar for winning the Silver medal at the ongoing Paralympic Games. Furthermore, PM Modi also added that the medal is the result of the 18-year-old's 'hard work' and 'unparalleled dedication'. He concluded by wishing Praveen Kumar luck in his future endeavours.

Praveen Kumar Paralympics

The 18-year-old high jumper had made it to the men's high jump T64 final with a lot of promise, courtesy of a personal best of 2.05m. Kumar was termed as one of the strongest contenders in the Indian contingent to ensure a podium finish in the event. The young athlete had missed out on a bronze medal marginally at the 2019 Junior World Para Athletics Championships. However, Kumar marked a jump of 1.92m to finish fourth-place at the Junior Championships making it his personal best. The fourth-place finish also ensured the sixth Paralympic qualification spot for India.

Following this, Praveen Kumar went on to win his first senior international gold medal at the 12th Fazza International World Para Athletics Grand Prix earlier this year. Praveen's personal best of 2.05m at the event had set a new record. This performance of 2.05m had put him in the top three amongst his competitors, making him a medal contender at the final event. The Asian record holder had then said that he was determined to win the gold at the Tokyo Paralympics final. Praveen Kumar had one leg shorter since birth. The athlete went on to achieve greatness in sports. He is currently ranked 3rd in the world in the High Jump T44 category.