Praveen Kumar shatters Asian Para Games record to clinch men's high jump gold, Banti bags silver

Praveen Kumar clinched the gold medal in men's high jump T44/64, setting an Asian Para Games record. It was India's second gold of the day and 11th overall as the medal rush continued on Wednesday. Praveen jumped over 2.05m to win the gold, while Banti bagged the silver in the same event, producing his personal best of 1.92m.

Temurbek Giyazov of Uzbekistan was third with 1.86m.

Praveen first broke the Games record of 1.95m, set by Giyazov in Jakarta in 2018, with a clearance of 2m. He then raised the bar further by clearing 2.05m.

T64 and T44 athletes often compete together in a combined event as World Para Athletics groups lower-limb classes together to ensure enough competitors and fair competition.

T64 is for athletes who run with a prosthetic lower limb, while T44 is for athletes with lower-limb impairments who run using two anatomical limbs without prostheses.

India added another medal on the track through Rakeshbhai Bhatt, who clocked a personal best of 11.50 seconds to finish third in the men's 100m T37 final.

Also Read - Ayush Verma wins India's 10th gold medal at Asian Para Games, tops men's shot put F53 event

Know more about Praveen

Praveen, a para high jumper from Govindgarh village in Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Buddha Nagar district, is among India’s top performers in the sport. Born with a lower-limb impairment, he developed an early interest in athletics and later specialised in high jump. Under the guidance of Dr Satyapal Singh, Praveen competes in the men’s T64 category.

He earned his first Paralympic medal at the Tokyo 2020 Games, held in 2021, winning silver in the men’s high jump T64 with a 2.07-metre jump that set an Asian record. He then secured gold at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Para Games.

At the Paris 2024 Paralympics, Praveen won gold with a 2.08-metre clearance. In 2025, he earned bronze at the World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi by clearing 2.00 metres in the men’s high jump T64 event.

Praveen's achievements have established him as one of India’s leading para-athletes, with medals at the Paralympics, Asian Para Games, and World Championships.