Praveen Kumar wins high jump gold with Asian Para Games record of 2.05m; Banti takes silver

Paralympic champion Praveen Kumar won gold in the men’s high jump T64 at the Asian Para Games in Nagoya, Japan, on Wednesday, clearing 2.05m to set a Games record. Compatriot Banti took silver with a personal best of 1.92m, giving India a one-two finish. Uzbekistan’s Temurbek Giyazov won bronze with 1.86m.

The event combined the T44 and T64 classes, which are for athletes with lower-limb impairments and are grouped together to ensure enough competitors and fair competition, PTI reported.

Praveen broke the old Games record twice. Giyazov had set the mark of 1.95m at the 2018 Games in Jakarta; Praveen first went past it by clearing 2m, then raised the bar to 2.05m, which he cleared on his third and final attempt, Sportstar reported. He could not go higher at 2.07m, according to India Today.

Banti’s 1.92m was the best jump of his career. He then tried 1.95m but failed on all three attempts.

Praveen, from Govindgarh village in Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Buddha Nagar district, trains under coach Satyapal Singh. He won silver at the Tokyo Paralympics, gold at the Paris 2024 Paralympics and bronze at the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships, India Today reported.