New Delhi, May 17: Praveen Kumar, who will receive the Padma Shri on May 26 in the “unsung heroes” category, is one of the few who have turned their physical limitations into strengths in a career that has redrawn the contours of Indian para sport.
Born on May 15, 2003, into a middle-class family at Jewar in Gautam Budh Nagar district, Praveen grew up with one leg shorter than the other, but was gifted with a prodigious leap, and soon made high jump his first passion.
The inflection point came during an inter-school high jump competition where he competed against able-bodied athletes, drawing the attention of experts.
Under coach Satyapal Singh, he received structured training at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi, sharpening the skills that transformed him into one of the world’s premier para-athletes.
President Droupadi Murmu will confer Praveen (23), the reigning Paralympic champion in high jump (T64 category), with the Padma Shri during a ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on May 26, a home ministry statement said.
Ranked World No. 1 in men’s T44 high jump, Praveen at 18 became the youngest Indian para-athlete to win a Paralympic medal after securing silver at the 2020 Tokyo Games, which was held in 2021 owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, with an Asian-record leap of 2.07 metres.
He then went on to clinch gold at the 2022 Asian Para Games and the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
In 2022, Praveen created history by becoming the first Indian para-athlete to win gold at an able-bodied national meet – the 20th National Federation Cup Junior U-20 Athletics Championships.
A recipient of the prestigious Arjuna Award and the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, Praveen mentors emerging para-athletes. (PTI)
