Praveen Kumar Wins Paris Paralympics 2024 Gold: How He Beat 'Insecurities' To Make History

India's Praveen Kumar won the gold medal in the Men's High Jump T64 with an Asian Record effort of 2.08 metres at the ongoing Paralympics Games on Friday. The 21-year-old added a sixth gold to India's tally to take the overall count to 26, which includes nine silver and 11 bronze medals. Praveen, who won silver in his Paralympics debut in Tokyo three years ago, not only bagged his second consecutive medal but also set the Asian Record in the process. USA's Derek Loccident claimed silver while Uzbekistan's Temurbek Giyazov clinched bronze with efforts of 2.06m (Paralympic Record) and 2.03m (personal best) respectively.

Praveen started his campaign in the final with an effort of 1.89m after skipping previous attempts of 1.80m and 1.85m respectively. The Indian para-athlete went on to clear all his efforts in one take till 2.08m before failing to clear the 2.10m in three attempts. However, that didn't hamper his medal colour as he finished at the top.

Born in Govindgarh (Noida), Uttar Pradesh, Praveen achieved remarkable success on the international stage, notably becoming the youngest para-athlete to win a medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. There, he secured a silver medal in the Men's High Jump T64 category with an impressive jump of 2.07 metres, marking a significant milestone for Indian athletics.

Praveen's journey to become a para-athlete was fraught with challenges. Born with a short leg, he initially struggled with feelings of inferiority compared to his peers. To combat his insecurities, he engaged in sports with friends and discovered a passion for volleyball.

However, his life took a pivotal turn when he participated in a high jump event at an able-bodied athletics competition, which exposed him to the