Praveen Kumar Defends High Jump T64 Gold With Games Record

Para high jumper Praveen Kumar has kept his Men's High Jump T64 title at the Asian Para Games 2026, clearing a height that bettered the Games Record he had himself set earlier. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated him on 21 October 2026, saying the jump showed the steadiness, sporting brilliance and unbroken pursuit of excellence that mark his career, and that he had once again made the country proud.

A record of his own, bettered

The achievement has two parts that an aspirant should keep separate. The first is that Praveen Kumar successfully defended the gold medal he already held in the men's high jump in the T64 class, so he is champion of the discipline at two editions of the continental Games in a row. The second is that the winning height improved on the Games Record that stood in his own name, which means the best mark in the history of the event at these Games is still his, only higher than before.

India takes the silver as well

The same final gave India a second medal. Banti won the silver in the Men's High Jump T64, and in a separate message the Prime Minister said the young jumper had shown promise and determination and expressed the hope that the result would give him the confidence to set his sights higher in the years ahead. Gold and silver from one final added two medals to India's count on the day.

The event and the class

The T64 classification in para athletics is for track and jump athletes who compete with a prosthesis after a lower-limb amputation. India has been strong in this class in recent years, and the high jump in particular has given the country its most consistent para-athletics results. For revision, the facts that matter are the name of the athlete, the event, the class, the colour of the medal, the fact that the title was defended and the detail that the Games Record broken was his own.