Shailesh Kumar propelled India to a stellar start at the World Para Athletics Championships 2025 in New Delhi, clinching a gold medal in the men's high jump T63 class. The 25-year-old athlete's remarkable performance not only secured India's first gold at the event but also set a new Asian record.
Kumar cleared a height of 1.91 meters in the final, establishing a new Championship record as well. This achievement marks his second medal at the World Para Athletics Championships. He had previously won a silver medal at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships in Paris with a jump of 1.83 meters and a gold medal at the Asian Para Games 2023 with a Games record of 1.82 meters.
The competition witnessed a strong performance from fellow Indian Varun Singh Bhati, who secured the bronze medal in the same event. Bhati also cleared 1.85m. USA's Ezra Frech, the reigning Paralympic champion, won the silver medal with a jump of 1.85m. Another Indian contender, Rahul, finished fourth with a personal best of 1.78m.
Shailesh, Bhati, and Rahul compete in the T42 classification, which includes athletes with a single above-the-knee amputation or an equivalent impairment. The T63 classification, designated for athletes with a single through-knee or above-knee limb deficiency, was combined with T42 for the event.
Kumar's journey to success has been marked by perseverance and determination. Born in Islamnagar village in the Jamui district of Bihar, he contracted polio in his right leg as a child. Despite facing challenges and societal skepticism, Shailesh pursued his passion for sports. He initially competed with able-bodied athletes before transitioning to para-sports after learning about the classification system at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.
"I used to compete with able-bodied athletes when I was in school. People told me why I was playing sports. They would say 'do a job or do something else'," Shailesh said after the win. "But I saw in the 2016 Rio Paralympics that this game happens in my category, then I decided to start in para sports," he added.
Shailesh had earlier represented India at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, where he finished fourth. He aims to break the world record of 1.96m.
His gold medal was confirmed after he cleared 1.85m, and he went on to clear 1.88m. Shailesh expressed his delight at winning the gold medal in front of the home crowd. "It is a special feeling as I was getting support from the home crowd," Shailesh said. He also acknowledged the challenges posed by the weather. "I wanted to attempt 1.94m but it was a little hot here today. I have been training in Bengaluru for the past seven months and came here 10 days ago so that I could adapt,” he added. He also spoke about the advantage of having Indian food. "Another thing is home food. When we go abroad, we don't get to eat Indian food. So, having Indian food helped me a lot," he said.
India's success on the first day of the World Para Athletics Championships was further amplified by Deepthi Jeevanji, who secured a silver medal in the Women's 400m T20 final.
