Who is Nishad Kumar? All you need to know about the Indian para-athlete competing in the Paris 2024 Paralympics

With the Paris 2024 Paralympics starting on August 28, India’s para high jumper Nishad Kumar is among those expected to fight for a podium finish in this year’s Paralympics Games. The Paris 2024 Paralympics will take place between August 28 and September 8.

24-year-old Nishad Kumar, a former Paralympic silver medalist, is one of the most successful members of the 84-athlete-strong Indian contingent going to Paris. He participates in the T47 category, which is reserved for those with unilateral upper limb impairment.

After securing his qualification for Paris 2024, Nishad Kumar will look to better his medal color from Tokyo 2020 and clinch his first gold medal at the Paralympic Games.

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Nishad Kumar’s career in brief

Born in the Baduan village in Himachal Pradesh’s Amb, Nishad Kumar was always inspired by his mother, who was a state-level volleyball player and discus thrower. However, tragedy struck when Nishad, aged just six, lost his right hand after it was accidentally caught in a fodder-cutting machine on his farm.

Despite the amputation of his arm, Nishad continued to dabble in sports, taking up the 200m and 400m sprint as well as the high jump in his school. In fact, he took part in the sub-junior high jump category in the 2013 National School Games in Patiala, winning a silver medal with a jump of 1.83m.

Nishad moved to the para-athletics category in 2017 and started training under para-athletics coaches Naseem Ahmed and Vikram Chaudhary. Interestingly, Ahmed is the former coach of Olympic gold medal-winning athlete Neeraj Chopra.

Under the training of his new coaches, Nishad took part in the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai, winning a bronze medal in the men’s high jump T47 category.

2021 was a highly successful year for Nishad Kumar. He started the year by winning a gold medal in the T46 category at the 12th Fazaa International Championships in the 2021 World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai. He then had his breakout moment as he won a silver medal in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics in the T47 category, registering an Asian record with a jump of 2.06m.

Since then, Nishad has kept up his winning form. He picked up a gold medal at the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, registering a jump of 2.02m, which was an Asian Para Games record. He then continued to pick up medals, winning a silver medal each at the 2023 Paris and 2024 Kobe Para Athletics World Championships.

Now in Paris, Nishad will look to establish himself as one of the premier para-athletes in the world by clinching a gold medal in his second Paralympic Games appearance.