Paris [France], September 2 : India's Nishad Kumar opened up about the factor that played a role in him falling short of the gold medal in the men's high jump T47 class in the ongoing Paris Paralympics.
Nishad was overwhelmed with emotions after he missed out on the gold medal and settled for the silver medal after soaring to a height of 2.04m.
He had also finished second in Tokyo three years ago and once again bagged a silver with his season-best performance of 2.04m. Russia's Georgii Margiev secured the bronze.
Nishad, who cleared 2.10m in practice, stated that everything was fine during the final, but he couldn't execute his jump as he desired.
"In the Tokyo Paralympics, I won the silver medal. Everything was fine, but I wasn't able to execute my jump properly. I was going according to the plan, but I couldn't execute my jump properly, and I missed the gold medal," Nishad told ANI.
Roderick Townsend, who was the gold medallist, went on to successfully defend his coveted medal with a leap of 2.06m. Throughout the final, both athletes tried to better each other's attempts, but it was the American who claimed his stake at the top of the podium with a remarkable effort.
Roderick was also seen consoling Nishad after the final. While talking about his opponent, Nishad had nothing but praise for the Paris Paralympics gold medallist.
"He (Roderick) is a good person and a player. When I train in the US, and I meet him, he treats me like a brother. I respect him, and the way he performed was exceptional," Nishad added.
Before the commencement of the Paris Paralympics, the Paralympic Committee of India president Devendra Jhajharia claimed that India would end its campaign with 25 medals.
Nishad remains hopeful that the Indian contingent will achieve its target and said, "I am hopeful that the medal tally will increase."
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