Paris: India achieved a remarkable double podium finish in the Men’s High Jump T63 final at the Paris Paralympics 2024 on Tuesday, with Sharad Kumar clinching the silver medal and Mariyappan Thangavelu securing bronze.
Sharad Kumar delivered an outstanding performance by clearing 1.88 meters on his second attempt, breaking the Paralympic record in the T42 category, a record previously held by Mariyappan Thangavelu from the Tokyo Paralympics. Despite attempting a challenging 1.94 meters, Sharad was unable to clear the height, but his efforts upgraded his Tokyo bronze to a well-deserved silver in Paris.
Ezra Frech of the United States stole the spotlight by breaking his own Paralympic record, successfully clearing 1.94 meters to claim the gold medal. In a thrilling competition, Sharad Kumar narrowly missed clearing 1.91 meters on his first attempt but chose to push the bar higher alongside Ezra for a shot at 1.94 meters.
Sharad initially showed disappointment after failing to clear 1.94 meters, but the realization of his achievement soon set in. Upgrading his Paralympic medal from bronze in Tokyo to silver in Paris is a significant milestone, and he celebrated the moment with pride.
India’s performance in the Men’s High Jump T63 at the Paris Paralympics underscores the nation’s growing strength in Para Athletics, with both Sharad Kumar and Mariyappan Thangavelu making the country proud on the global stage.
The two high jump medals along with equal number of javelin medals bring India’s total to record 20 on Day 6 of the Paralympics surpassing the 19 medal tally from Tokyo Paralympics 2020. Earlier in the day, Deepthi Jeevanji added to India’s medal tally with a bronze in the Women’s 400m T20 event.