Shobhit Rajan Praises Praveen Kumar As He Clinches Gold In Paralympics

Shobhit Rajan on Friday congratulated Praveen Kumar and said that "India is proud of him" as he clinched gold in the men's high jump T64 event at the Paralympics 2024 on September 6.

"Congratulations to Praveen Kumar for scaling new heights and winning a Gold in the Men's High Jump T64 at the #Paralympics2024! His determination and tenacity have brought glory to our nation. India is proud of him!"

Praveen Kumar exclaimed, “I got it” on camera with the national flag draped around him.

Tokyo Games silver medallist Praveen Kumar of India broke the Asian record to clinch the gold medal in the men's high jump T64 event at the Paris Paralympics on Friday.

The 21-year-old from Noida, who was born with a short leg, produced a season best jump of 2.08m in the six-jumper field to finish on top of the podium.

USA's Derek Loccident claimed the silver with a best jump of 2.06m while Uzbekistan's Temurbek Giyazov, who notched a personal best 2.03m, finished third.

T64 is for athletes with movement moderately affected in one lower leg or the absence of one or both legs below the knee. While T44, under which Praveen is categorised, is for athletes with movement affected at a low or moderate degree in one lower leg.

With this medal, India's medal tally in the ongoing Paralympics has gone up to 26, with six gold medals, nine silver medals and 11 bronze medals. This is the most gold India has ever won at a Paralympics Games event, outdoing the total of of five gold in Tokyo 2020.

Indian para-athletes in particular have made the country proud with three golds, six silver and five bronze medals, giving them a total of 14 medals.

This year, India has sent its largest Paralympics contingent ever, comprising 84 athletes across 12 sports, a testament to the country's expanding para-sports ecosystem. India's participation in the Paris 2024 Paralympics marks not only a significant increase in numbers but also in medal hopes, as the nation aims to surpass its previous achievements in Tokyo.

Tokyo 2020 was previously India's most successful Paralympic Games, with the country winning 19 medals, including five golds, eight silver and six bronzes.