Asian Para Games
Asian Para Games: Shailesh Kumar wins high jump gold with Games record
In the Men's High Jump T63 competition, Shailesh Kumar secured the first gold for India, while Mariyappan Thangavelu earned a silver at the Asian Para Games.
Shailesh Kumar (Image via: SportsArena1234/X)
India clinched its first gold at the Asian Para Games, with Shailesh Kumar winning the Men's High Jump T63 event with a jump of 1.82m, on Monday.
Shailesh also broke the nine-year-old Games record set by Paralympics medalist Sharad Kumar in 2014 of 1.80m. Earlier, Shailesh Kumar bagged a silver at the World Para Athletics championship and a gold in the National Championships held earlier in Pune.
Paralympic medalist Mariyappan Thangavelu jumped 1.80m to clinch the silver medal recording his season best after a disappointing start to the season for him.
High jump T63 is for the high jumpers with available movement moderately affected in one leg or the absence of limbs above the knee. The athlete has to generate balance and propulsion for the jump from one leg only.
Third Indian para-athlete in the event, Ramsinghbhai Padhiyar finished third with a jump of 1.78m but failed to clinch any medal as only three athletes were competing in the event.
The three Indians were the only competitors in the event and under APC's 'minus one rule', four athletes need to be in the fray to award all three medals.
"In exceptional cases where only three or fewer athletes compete, the medal will be awarded following the 'minus-one rule'. For example, if an event is finalized by 2 athletes/teams only, only a gold medal will be allocated," according to the APC rule book.
India has won a total of ten medals at the Asian Para Games 2023 with three gold, five silver, and two bronze medals on the first day of the event.
India has sent the largest-ever contingent of 303 para-athletes to the 2023 Asian Para Games to breach the 100-medal mark and better the 72 medal haul from the 2018 Asian Para Games.
