Met accident at the age of 8, Nishad Kumar overcomes challenges and wins silver medal at Tokyo Paralympics

India wins its second medal at the Tokyo Paralympics on Sunday, as Nishad Kumar bags a silver medal in the men's high jump T47 event.

The para athlete was handed a joined silver medal after he tied with USA's Dallas Wise in the second position with a best jump of 2.06m.

The 20-year-old from Una, Himachal Pradesh had 2 meters at the Dubai World Para Athletics Championship had booked his place in the Tokyo games.

Nishad has been professionally competing in para-sports since 2009. He was just eight years old when he suffered a horrendous accident when he was just 8 years old.

He is a student of Physical Education at the Lovely Professional University, which is situated in Punjab. Being a recipient of a full-ride scholarship, the athlete has not only made the country proud, but also his university. In 2019 itself, the proud institution had posted a tweet congratulating their student on his achievements.

Earlier this year, in February, Nishad Kumar set an Asian record at the 12^th Fazza International Championships for World Para Athletics Grand Prix, held in Dubai. His 2.06m jump got him the gold in his category. This win will surely provide the needed motivation and momentum to the high jumper in order to achieve his goals.