Paris, September 7
Following his gold medal win at the Paris Paralympics in men's high jump, Indian para athlete Praveen Kumar said that he was determined to win gold this time and did not want to "regret" while heading back to India.
Praveen Kumar secured the gold medal for the country at the ongoing Paris Paralympics in the men's high jump T64 final on Friday. In the medal round, Praveen performed a record-breaking jump of 2.08 metres. With this jump, he has established an all-new Asian record.
Speaking to ANI after the medal win, Praveen expressed his feelings about the medal win and getting the national anthem to play at the podium. He also said that he did not expect this to happen, rather wanted to deliver his personal best jump.
"I had not thought it would happen. I just wanted to deliver my personal best. I cannot express my happiness in words. My sir told me to go for my personal best. I waited for this moment (to have the national anthem playing) for three years. I cannot forget this. I did not want regret this time, I wanted gold this time, otherwise I would not have gone to India in the best way," said Praveen.
Praveen also said that getting to talk to Prime Minister Narendra Modi also doubles the motivation to get a medal.
India's Chef de Mission for Paralympics 2024, the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) vice-president Satya Prakash Sangwan also got teary eyed on hearing the national anthem play, saying to ANI, "I felt good, when national anthem was played, I had tears in my eyes. We have completed 25 medals. We are proud of him. My gut feeling is we will get 28 medals. This is a historic moment for me. God has blessed me. I feel really proud of these athletes for fulfilling our dreams."
PCI president Devendra Jhajaria pointed out how Praveen's jump and also his "passion, hardwork and discipline" defied sports science and got him a gold.
"Praveen has made history. Sports science says 2.08 m jump requires 6 feet height. But Praveen is 5 feet 6 inches tall. But his passion, hardwork and discipline has challenged science. This was not a jump, but a big leap for the country. I would like to thank his coach for this. This sixth gold medal is historic. Our target was 25 medals. I was questioned if I was overconfident. But our dream has been fulfilled," said Jhajaria.
Praveen's coach Satyapal also said, "It feels really good. No best moment for a coach to see his student win medal at the biggest stage. Nothing is a bigger "guru dakshina" than this."
Indian para-athlete Hokato Hotozhe Sema secured a bronze medal for the country at the ongoing Paris Paralympics in the final of the men's shot put F57 final on Saturday.
In the medal match, Hokato recorded the best throw of 14.65 m, which is also his personal best now. Iran's Yashin Khosravi secured the top spot and gold with a throw of 15.96 m while the silver went to Thiago Paulino dos Santos of Brazil after he threw 15.06 m.
With these medals, India's medal tally in the ongoing Paralympics has gone up to 27, with six gold medals, nine silver medals, and 12 bronze medals. This is the most gold India has ever won at a Paralympics Games event, outdoing the total of five golds in Tokyo 2020.
Indian para-athletes in particular have made the country proud with three golds, six silver and six bronze medals, giving them a total of 15 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 silvers, and six bronzes.