Nishad Kumar, who lost his right hand to a grass-cutting machine at six, wins Asian Para Games gold

Nishad Kumar claimed India’s first para-athletics gold at the ongoing Asian Para Games as he topped the men’s long jump T47 event with a dominating performance in Nagoya on Monday.

The 27-year-old, who had won a gold in the high jump T47 event in the previous Asian Para Games in China, produced an effort of 7.11m in both his third and fifth attempts to win the gold on the opening day of para-athletics competition.

The two-time Paralympic silver-medallist will also compete in his pet event, high jump T47, in the ongoing Games.

Omadbek Khasanov of Uzbekistan and Mohammadu Safran of Sri Lanka took the silver and bronze with efforts of 6.99m and 6.55m respectively.

T47 classification is for athletes with upper limb impairments.

Nishad’s right arm was severed by a grass-cutting machine at his family farm in Himachal Pradesh’s Amb when he was merely six.

Who is Nishad Kumar?

Born on October 3, 1999, in Himachal Pradesh’s Una district, Nishad grew up with an interest in sport encouraged by his mother, a state-level volleyball player and discus thrower.

He tried several sports before making high jump his main event. Professional coaching followed in 2017, the year he made his international debut at the Asian Youth Para Games and won gold, according to a Press Information Bureau profile. :chatgpt-content-reference{index=“1”}

Nishad studied at DAV College in Chandigarh and later pursued higher education at Himachal Pradesh University. He also studied physical education at Lovely Professional University in Punjab.

His breakthrough at senior level came with a bronze medal at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai. He followed that with silver at the Tokyo Paralympics, held in 2021, clearing 2.06m in the men’s high jump T47.

At the Paris Paralympics in 2024, he won a second successive silver with a jump of 2.04m. His record also includes high jump gold at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games, held in 2023. :chatgpt-content-reference{index=“2”}

Monday’s victory adds a long jump title to a career built largely around the high jump, with another event still to come in Nagoya.

With inputs from PTI