India won its first medals thanks to Day 3 victories by Nishad Kumar and Preethi Pal with silver and bronze at the World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan. Silver medalist Nishad Kumar at the Tokyo Paralympics jumped 1.99 metres to place second in the men’s T47 high jump competition.
American Roderick Townsend won gold with a jump of 2.05 metres. Another competitor from India, Ram Pal, finished sixth with a season-best 1.90m. Notably, after winning the event at the 2023 Paris Championships, this is Nishad Kumar’s second straight silver in the same competition. The T47 classification is beneficial to athletes who have limitations at the wrist or below the elbow.
Preethi Pal finished in 30.49 seconds to take home the medal in the women’s T35 200m final, adding to India’s total. Athletes with impaired coordination are included in the T35 category. In the women’s T20 400m heat, Deepthi Jeevanji also made an impression by breaking the Asian record with a time of 56.18 seconds, which guaranteed her a place in the final. T20 competitors are athletes with intellectual disabilities.
With 26 podium finishes (10 gold, 8 silver, and 8 bronze), China tops the medal table, with India currently in 29th place.
