Asian record holder-Nishad Kumar has his eyes set on a podium finish at the Paralympics 2021

Nishad Kumar is one of India's biggest medal prospects at the ongoing 2021 Paralympics. The 20-year-old has been doing extremely well in international competitions and will be hoping for a similar performance at the Para-Games in Tokyo. Nishad has been competing in para-sports since 2009. He suffered a horrendous accident when he was just 8 years old. However, destiny had greater plans for the high-jumper.

Today as I am going to Tokyo first temple took blessings of God❤️ mam Ritu ji's blessings also thank you very much mam is giving me good food and facilities.and you giving me lots of love and blessing 😊and finally I am ready to take the country's tricolor #Tokyo2020 #sai pic.twitter.com/Dhah6gfohf

— Nishad_kumarhj (@nishad_hj) August 24, 2021

Nishad Kumar and his early days as a para-athlete

Nishad Kumar lost his right hand after his accident when he was just 8 years old. However, this never stopped him from achieving success in life. He hails from Una district in Himachal Pradesh and decided to pursue para-sports when he was just 10. The move paid off well for him as he excelled and became one of the top para-athletes in the country.

Nishad Kumar and his brilliance on the international stage

Nishad Kumar first came into the limelight after a stellar display at the World Championships in Dubai. He bagged bronze there, which helped him seal a quota place for India at the 2021 Paralympics. The Covid-19 induced lockdown slowed down the preparations, but once things were back to normal, Nishad picked up from where he left off.

The high jumper cruised to glory in the T47 event at the Fazza International Grand Prix in early 2021. He won the gold medal after breaking the Asian record with a 2.06-meter jump. After securing the Paralympic berth, Nishad had said:

"I am super happy. It's my first World Championships, never expected that I will get a medal competing against such top players. My next target is the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics."

Along with being an exceptional athlete, Nishad has also given equal attention to academics. He is currently pursuing a physical education degree at Lovely Professional University in Punjab. His talent helped him bag a 100% scholarship from the university and he is given all the support he needs to excel in the sport by LPU. Speaking about the help he got from LPU, Nishad said:

"Along with my national mentors, I am thankful to LPU and trainers here who chiselled me to be perfect in my field. I am indebted to LPU management as it offered me a scholarship to continue with both studies and sports, which was otherwise very difficult for me to reach such a winning stage. I managed a very good performance at the championships, and I am feeling proud that I established a new record also. In fact, all of my hard work learnt at LPU paid off here."

The youngster contracted Covid-19 on his return from Dubai after the Fazza Grand Prix. However, his recovery was quick and Nishad returned to action well before the Tokyo Paralympics. Nishad will be competing in the high-jump T47 event on August 28. The 20-year-old is currently World No. 3 in the rankings and will be hoping to continue his exploits at the biggest para-sporting event.