Praveen Kumar won the gold medal in the men’s high jump T64 event at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, clearing 2.08 meters to claim his second consecutive Paralympic medal. Praveen had previously secured silver at the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics with a personal best of 2.07 meters.

The 21-year-old athlete became only the second Indian, after Mariyappan Thangavelu, to win gold in Paralympic high jump competitions. The 21-year-old athlete delivered a season-best jump of 2.08m in a six-competitor field to secure the top spot on the podium.

Kumar defeated USA’s Derek Loccident who took silver with the best jump of 2.06m, while Uzbekistan’s Temurbek Giyazov, achieving a personal best of 2.03m, finished third.

Praveen competes under the T44 classification, designated for athletes with lower leg movement affected to a low or moderate degree, whereas the T64 category is for athletes with moderate movement impairment in one lower leg or those missing one or both legs below the knee.

After seeing Praveen’s achievement, the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi also congratulated Praveen for his excellence.