Nishad Kumar, a high jumper, won silver in the men’s T47 high jump event at the Tokyo Paralympics 2020 on Sunday. As the event turned out to be a good one for the Indian para-athlete, he made a jump of 2.06m and also set an Asian record. On Sunday, Vinod Kumar set an Asian record in the men’s discus throw F52 event at the Tokyo Paralympics, securing a bronze medal.
Men’s High Jump Highlights
In the final, Nishad Kumar began with a jump of 1.89m and easily cleared it. Ram Pal, who had posted a personal best of 1.84m, had a strong start as well.
In his first try to stay in touch with the leaders, Ram Pal cleared the height of 1.89. Nishad cleared the height on his first attempt with the height set at 1.94m, while Ram Pal logged a failed jump but cleared the height in his second attempt to equal his personal record.
Ram Pal’s collapse came in the form of three unsuccessful efforts to bow out at 1.98. Nishad, too, had a nervous moment when he failed to clear the height on his first attempt, but he succeeded on his second effort.
Chen Hongjie of China was competing against Nishad Kumar at the time, while the two American competitors hadn’t even joined the competition yet, with their opening jumps set at 2.02m.
Nishad Kumar broke through to the top in his first try, clearing the 2.02 mark, but the height seemed too much for the Chinese athlete, who lost all three efforts. Dallas Wise, who had a failed effort on his first jump, shocked everyone by clearing the mark on his second. Roderick, on the other hand, was the first to break the 2.02 barrier.
The bar was subsequently raised to 2.06m, which Nishad Kumar and Dallas Wise both cleared on their second attempt after failing on their very first. By reaching the 2.06m mark, Nishad equalled his previous best jump, which also happened to be the Asian record. Roderick, on the other hand, was in a league of his own, clearing the 2.06m on his first try.
Both Nishad and Wise got the same score, however, Nishad got it on his first try while Wise needed two. As a consequence, Nishad received a silver medal. With a leap of 1.94m, India’s RampalChahar placed fifth.
Men’s Disk Throw Highlights
Vinod had opened the final with a 17.46m attempt. He, on the other hand, continued to improve his time and, in his fifth and penultimate effort, set the medal-winning time.
Vinod improved to 18.32m with his second throw after his first try. Vinod’s third throw was a tad short at 17.80m, but he improved with a throw of 19.12m in his following attempt before his medal-clinching fifth throw of 19.91m.
He finished the final with a throw of 19.81m, which was another remarkable feat. Vinod’s previous personal best was 19.29 meters, while his season-best was 18.52 meters. With Vinod’s bronze, India now has three medals from the Tokyo Paralympics, after capturing two silvers earlier in the day.
In the morning, India’s Bhavinaben Patel took silver in the women’s singles table tennis class 4 final, losing 7-11, 5-11, 6-11 to China’s Ying Zhou. She became only the second Indian woman to win a medal at the Paralympics, following Deepa Malik. Nishad Kumar earned another silver medal for India in the evening session. This is India’s third medal at the Tokyo Paralympics, with all three coming on Sunday, which also happens to be National Sports Day in India.
