Shailesh Kumar soared to India’s first gold medal at the World Para Athletics Championships 2025 in New Delhi, clinching the men’s high jump T63 class title with an Asian record on Saturday.
The 25-year-old Indian para-athlete cleared 1.91m in the final for his second World Para Athletics Championships medal. Shailesh’s effort is also a new Championship and Asian record.
He had also won the silver medal at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships in Paris with a clearance of 1.83m and gold at the Asian Para Games 2023 with a Games record of 1.82m.
Shailesh, who competes under the T42 class, went for 1.94m at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Saturday but could not clear the bar.
He also represented India at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, but missed the podium with a fourth-place finish in the same classification.
On Saturday, competing in the T42 class, Shailesh attempted 1.94m but could not clear the bar.
USA’s Paris 2024 Paralympic champion Ezra Frech (T63) took silver with 1.85m, while Kumar’s fellow Indian Varun Singh Bhati (T42) grabbed bronze by scaling the same height on his third attempt. Rahul (T42) finished fourth with a personal best of 1.78m.