Shailesh Kumar (para-athlete)

Shailesh Kumar

Personal information
Born	(2000-08-08) 8 August 2000 (age 25) Islamnagar, Jamui, Bihar, India
Education	Bachelor of Mathematics
Sport
Sport	Para-athletics
Disability class	T42/63
Event	High jump
Achievements and titles
Personal best	1.91 m CR
Medal record Men's para-athletics Representing   India World Championships 2025 New Delhi High jump T63 Asian Para Games 2022 Hangzhou High jump T63

Shailesh Kumar (born 8 August 2000) is a Indian para-athlete who specializes in high jump. ^[1] He won the gold medal at the 2022 Asian Para Games and the 2025 World Championships in the men's high jump T63 event. ^{[2] [3]} Kumar also represented India at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, where he narrowly missed the podium with a fourth-place finish in the same event.

Early life and background

Kumar hails from Islamnagar in Aliganj block, Jamui district, Bihar. ^[4] In T63 classification, athletes with a single leg above the knee amputation compete with a prosthesis.

Early life and education

Kumar was born to Pratima Devi and Shivnandan Yadav and has two brothers. He did his graduation in Mathematics. He is currently being supported by Olympic Gold Quest, a sports NGO.

Career

He also represented India at the World Para Athletics Championships at Paris in July 2023 and won a silver medal. ^[5] He qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics. He won the National Championship at Bhubaneswar in March 2022. ^[6]

He also broke the nine-year-old Asian Para Games record of 1.80m set by Paralympics medalist Sharad Kumar in 2014. ^[7] Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Kumar for winning the gold medal. [8] He is currently serving as a Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) in the State of Bihar.

References

1. Chatterjee, Triyasha (31 August 2024). "Who is Shailesh Kumar? All you need to know about the Indian high jump athlete competing at the Paris 2024 Paralympics". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
2. "Asian Para Games 2023: Pranav Soorma, Shailesh Kumar clinch gold". The Times of India. 23 October 2023. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 15 January 2024.
3. Sportstar, Team (27 September 2025). "Shailesh Kumar wins India's first gold medal at World Para Athletics Championships 2025". sportstar.thehindu.com. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
4. "Champions: Indian para athletes register a record medal haul of 111 at Hangzhou in China". www.thetribune.com. 29 October 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
5. "Asian Para Games: Shailesh Kumar wins gold, Mariyappan Thangavelu secures silver in High Jump-T63 event". www.aninews.in. 23 October 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
6. "Asian Para Games 2023: Shailesh Kumar clinches gold in men's T63 high jump". Khel Now. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
7. "Asian Para Games: Shailesh Kumar wins high jump gold with Games record". thebridge.in. 23 October 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
8. "Exceptional, monumental: PM Modi hails Indian athletes' performances at Asian Para Games". The Economic Times. 23 October 2023. ISSN   0013-0389 . Retrieved 15 January 2024.