New Delhi: One athlete was born visually impaired, while the other lost his right hand at the age of eight in an accident involving a fodder cutting machine. Both faced challenging times growing up but did not give up on their grit, determination and fighting spirit.
At the World Para Athletics Championships on Friday,
Simran Sharma and
Nishad Kumar claimed a gold in their respective competition classes, bringing the hosts’ total medal tally to 15. Simran, from Uttar Pradesh’s Modinagar, and Kumar, from Badaun village in Himachal Pradesh, excelled in the evening session at the JLN stadium with personal best performances.
Kumar gave himself a special birthday gift by securing first place in the men’s high jump T47 final with a new Asian record of 2.14m. He cleared the 2.14m bar on his first attempt, surpassing his previous mark of 2.09m set at the 2023 edition in Paris.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The 26-year-old two-time Paralympics silver medallist attempted to set a world record by raising the bar to 2.18m but was unsuccessful in all three attempts. USA’s Roderick Townsend, the current world record holder, finished with a bronze after clearing 2.03m. The silver medal was won by Türkiye’s Abdullah Ilgaz, who established a new European record of 2.08m.
“I have been waiting for this day for a long time. It’s the best birthday present for me, my family and coaches. A world record would have made it perfect. I was preparing for it in Paris as well, but sometimes I tend to overthink. This time everything was perfect. Today, the world’s biggest strength was with me — my mother. I felt like I was fulfilling her dreams,” Nishad said.
For Nishad, who lost his hand in a tragic accident in 2007 while assisting his farmer father on the family’s farmland, it was his mother Pushpa Devi – herself a state-level volleyball player and discus thrower – who provided the strength and courage to persevere.
Simran, 25, delighted Indian fans by winning the women’s 100m T12 final with a personal best time of 11.95s. Running with her guide Umar Saifi, Simran led from start to finish, showcasing remarkable strength and resilience to achieve medal success. The silver medal was secured by China’s Liang Yanfen (guide Tian Haoyu) with a time of 12.11s, while Spain’s Garcia Folgado Nagore (guide Rafael Quijal Romera) earned bronze with a personal best of 12.11s.
“It was a dream to win gold in front of the home crowd. Today’s race was good. Now I am targeting another gold in the 200m T12 final,” Simran said.
Simran was born prematurely and spent the first 10 weeks in an incubator, where it was discovered that she is visually impaired. Born to Manoj Kumar, a medical practitioner, and Savita Sharma, a housewife, Simran always recognised the challenges of aspiring to be a sportsperson. Her journey in athletics began in Modinagar, where she was coached by her husband Gajendra Singh.
India has so far won 15 medals — six gold, five silver, and four bronze — with two days of competition remaining.
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