Nishad Kumar secured his first-ever gold medal at the World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi, winning the Men’s High Jump T47 final with a new Asian record of 2.14m. After a series of silver medal finishes at the last two World Championships and the Tokyo and Paris Paralympics, Nishad finally stepped atop the podium, triumphing over his long-time rival and five-time world champion, Roderick Townsend of the USA.
The competition saw Nishad clearing all his initial marks in single attempts. While Townsend, the reigning Paralympic champion, entered at 2.03m, and failining to clear any subsequent height, finished with a bronze medal. Turkey’s Abdullah Ilgaz provided an unexpected challenge, setting a new european record of 2.08m to claim the silver. Nishad secured the gold medal after successfully clearing 2.10m, and with the title assured, he raised the bar to 2.14m, clearing it to set the new continental record.
The American champion, who finished third, expressed his admiration for his competitor. "Nishad has always kept me to the edge... I’m excited for him to win the world title in front of his home crowd. I think he is capable of bettering my world mark," Townsend said. Nishad reciprocated the sentiment, acknowledging the lessons learned from the American. "If there is one thing I have learned from Roderick during all our meetings is to never give up while chasing a mark," Nishad stated. "I always wanted to win gold with Roderick in competition."
After securing the gold, Nishad attempted to break Townsend's world record of 2.16m. Encouraged by his coach Jeremy Fischer and Townsend himself to attempt 2.17m, Nishad chose to aim higher. "Coach told me to just get the record. Townsend also told me to just go for 2.17m... But I wanted 2.18m," he explained. He narrowly missed on his second of three attempts at the record height, hitting the bar on his way down before exhaustion set in during the humid evening.
Despite falling short of the world record, the gold medal did not diminish Nishad's ambition. His journey, which includes training in the US with coach Jeremy Fischer, has been one of continuous improvement. Looking ahead, Nishad made it clear what the victory means to him. "I have a number in my mind. I still haven’t achieved it. So, I have a lot more motivation in me," he said. "I might have won the gold medal but I don’t think that hunger has gone anywhere."