Nishad Kumar leaps to gold with 7.11m jump on Asian Para Games debut

Aichi-Nagoya: India’s two-time Paralympic silver medallist Nishad Kumar won gold in the men’s T47 long jump at the 2026 Asian Para Games on Monday, recording a best effort of 7.11m in his international debut in the discipline.

The high jump specialist secured India’s second gold medal at the Games with a commanding performance. His compatriot Ravi Karthik Budigina added to the country’s medal tally by winning silver in the men’s 100m freestyle S13 swimming event.

Nishad opened the long jump final with an effort of 6.95m before improving to 7.09m in his second attempt. He reached 7.11m in the third round to take the lead and matched the distance in his fifth attempt after registering a foul in the fourth. He finished with a jump of 7.07m to seal the gold medal.

Uzbekistan’s Omadbek Khasanov claimed silver with a season-best effort of 6.99m, while Sri Lanka’s Mohammadu Safran took bronze with a jump of 6.55m.

The victory adds another achievement to Nishad’s distinguished para-athletics career. The 26-year-old won silver in the men’s high jump T47 at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. He also claimed gold at the 2022 Asian Para Games and became the world champion in 2025, setting an Asian record of 2.14m in the high jump.

Nishad lost his right hand in a childhood farm accident and took up para-athletics in 2009. His latest triumph demonstrates his ability to excel beyond his specialist high jump event.

Meanwhile, 18-year-old Budigina won silver in the men’s 100m freestyle S13, clocking 56.80 seconds. Uzbekistan’s Egor Bolotov secured gold in 52.90 seconds, while the Indian swimmer delivered the country’s first swimming medal at the ongoing Games.

Representing Andhra Pradesh, Budigina competes in the S13, SB13 and SM13 classifications for athletes with visual impairments. He is considered one of India’s emerging talents in para-swimming.

With Nishad’s gold and Budigina’s silver, India’s medal tally at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games rose to six.

Earlier, Indian para-shooters Mona Agarwal and Avani Lekhara won gold and silver, respectively, in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 event. Kokila secured silver in the women’s J2 -52kg judo category, while Kapil Parmar won bronze in the men’s J1 -70kg event.

The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games are being held in Japan from October 18 to 24.

ANI