“He was almost crying” – Sharad Kumar shares Ukrainian coach’s joy after learning of Paris Paralympics 2024 silver medal win

Indian para-athlete Sharad Kumar, who clinched a silver medal in the men’s high jump T63 event at the ongoing Paris Paralympics 2024, said that his Ukrainian coach Nikitin Yevhen cried with joy after learning of his medal win at the quadrennial event.

Sharad has been unable to meet with his coach due to the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia. He had been training in the Phillippines in preparation for the Paralympics Games.

Speaking to the media after his silver-winning performance in Paris, Sharad said (as per PTI):

“I spoke to him last night, he is very happy [after learning Kumar's feat]. He sent me an audio, he was almost crying. The [Ukraine-Russia] war has impacted me immensely, because my coach has not been able to be with me ever since the war started [in February 2022]. Even when I was [training] in the Philippines [before Paralympics], I was always having online chat with him.”

“His blessings and his guidance is always with me. All the time I am in touch with him, every day,” Sharad added.

Sharad Kumar trained under Niktin Yevhen, a former coach for the Sports Authority of India (SAI), since 2017. Yevhen is based in Ukraine’s Kharkiv city, which has been one of the main battlegrounds in the ongoing conflict with Russia. Yevhen accompanied Sharad in the Tokyo Paralympics 2020, where the latter won a bronze medal.

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How was Sharad Kumar’s Paris Paralympics 2024 journey?

Sharad Kumar, a bronze medalist in the Tokyo Paralympics 2020 and a two-time Asian Para Games gold medalist, was one of the prime medal hopefuls for India at the Paris Paralympics 2024.

In the men’s high jump T63 final round on Tuesday, Sharad registered a valid jump of 1.88m – a new Paralympic Games record in the T42 category in which Sharad competes.

As a result of his record-breaking jump, Sharad came in second place behind Ezra Frech of the United States, who himself created a new Paralympic record in the T63 category with a valid jump of 1.94m.

Sharad Kumar was not the only Indian to share a podium place at the event, with Mariyappan Thangavelu winning a bronze medal with a jump of 1.85m.