Nishad Kumar's performance at Paralympics will give inspiration to many: Anurag Thakur

Anurag Thakur, the Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, on Tuesday, said that Nishad Kumar's performance at the ongoing Tokyo Paralympics will serve as an inspiration for many.

"I want to congratulate all our athletes for showing remarkable performance in the ongoing Tokyo Paralympics. We have so far won 10 medals, Nishad Kumar is here with us, he won silver at high jump event. I am pleased that both Nishad and I hail from the same state. His performance will give inspiration to many, when athletes work this hard, this is the result. On behalf on Indian government, I want to congratulate all our athletes," Thakur told reporters here on Tuesday.

"When PM Modi talked with Paralympians, you would have noticed that he knew about their family members. PM Modi has always thought about para-athletes. Our para-athletes have given a remarkable performance at the Paralympics. Indian government and SAI provided all the facilities, for the last two years, training camps were organised and this further motivated the athletes," he added.

Anurag Thakur, the Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, on Tuesday felicitated Tokyo Paralympics silver medallist Nishad Kumar.

Nishad arrived in Delhi on Tuesday. MoS Shri Nisith Pramanik also graced the event. Nishad, who hails from Himachal Pradesh, won the silver with a jump of 2.06m in the Men's High Jump T47 category at the Tokyo Paralympics.

At the Paralympic Games, Nishad equaled the Asian record set by him earlier this year with the 2.06m jump. He has been training at the national camp in SAI Bengaluru under the guidance of coach Satyanarayana. The Government of India duly supported Nishad ahead of the Games in terms of facilitating foreign exposure trips and over four international competitions to the tune of Rs 10.50 lakh from the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) and Rs 10.21 lakh from the Annual Calendar for Training and Competition (ACTC).

Nishad has had a roller-coaster of a calendar year. He tested positive for Covid-19 twice but he continued improving and set two Personal Bests in 2021. He jumped 2.07m at the Para Athletics Selection Trials held in Delhi in June, and this helped him secure a spot in the Indian team for the Tokyo Paralympics. He won a gold medal in the High Jump T47 category at the Fazza Para Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai right before the pandemic in Dubai and repeated the feat at the same competition by winning the elusive gold, also in 2021.

Nishad, who comes from a humble family of farmers, was only eight years old when his right hand was damaged by a grass-cutting machine on his family's farm. However, he did not let this incident deter his spirit. Two years later, he started practicing in the high jump on his school grounds. Nishad competed in the School Nationals, along with able-bodied athletes, in 2017 where he finished 10th with a jump of 1.75m. After completing his schooling in the same year, Nishad moved to Panchkula to train at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium. It was no looking behind for him after that.

( With inputs from ANI )

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