3 min readMar 11, 2026 10:51 PM IST
Shailesh Kumar, reigning world champion in men’s high jump T63 category, opened his 2026 season with a gold medal at the ongoing World Para Athletics Grand Prix in New Delhi on Wednesday. Opening his season with a best jump of 1.84 m, Shailesh had clinched the gold medal last year in front of the home crowd at the World Para Athletics Championships, making it his first major medal.
While the mark of 1.84m is below his personal best of 1.91m, Shailesh was happy with the performance given this was the season opener. “I am happy with the result. After the World Championships, I had pain in my left knee. So, our plan was to start the season here and do that with a decent mark. My body felt good today,” Shailesh said after his performance.
The athlete from Bihar has his eyes fixed on the upcoming Asian Para Games which is a high-priority competition for the Indian athletes in this calendar. “Since the World Championship, I have worked on my technique. I am working on my takeoff technique to go beyond my personal best (1.91m),” explained Shailesh. “Asian Para Games is my target this season. We have planned our training program accordingly to focus on that one event.”
Shailesh would have pushed for a better mark had there been three-time Paralympic medallist Mariyappan Thangavelu present in the competition. 30-year-old Thangavelu, who decided to forgo last season and put in work to ace a new technique, pulled out at the last moment over his fitness. “Yeah, I was looking forward to competing with him. We train together in Bengaluru and if he was there, I would have pushed more. Having a competitor like him means I can push further as I know he would raise the bar of the competition,” Shailesh said.
Not chasing records
During his gold medal-winning performance at the World Championships, Shailesh went beyond the Championship record thrice but fell short of the world record. His three attempts at 1.94m didn’t go through during the event.
“There is no conscious effort to chase the world record or go for it in every attempt. I believe if my training is right and I work on the right process, records will come through,” said Shailesh.
More than 200 Indian athletes are participating in the ongoing World Para Athletics Grand Prix as the competition is crucial for the athletes who want to get classified. Apart from Indian athletes, 26 Russian athletes have turned up after the International Paralympic Committee allowed the Russians to compete in different events under their own flag starting from the Winter Paralympics last month.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
