Asian Para Games: Nishad Kumar clinches long jump gold with dominant performance

India’s two-time Paralympic silver medallist Nishad Kumar clinched gold in the men’s T47 long jump final at the Asian Para Games on Monday, producing a best effort of 7.11m to secure the top spot and deliver India its second gold medal of the day.

Known primarily for his achievements in the high jump, Nishad showed his versatility by making a strong impact in the long jump competition. He opened with an effort of 6.95m before moving into a commanding position with a 7.09m jump in his second attempt. The Indian athlete then improved further, registering 7.11m in his third attempt to strengthen his hold on the lead.

Although his fourth attempt was ruled a foul, Nishad matched his best distance of 7.11m in the fifth round, ensuring that his rivals had a difficult target to surpass. He finished the competition with a jump of 7.07m in his sixth and final attempt, bringing his campaign to a close with the gold medal. Uzbekistan’s Omadbek Khasanov finished second with a season-best effort of 6.99m, remaining behind Nishad in the final standings.

Nishad is a two-time Paralympic silver medallist in the high jump, having established himself among India’s leading para-athletes. His gold in the long jump adds another significant achievement to his career and underlines his ability to compete across disciplines. The victory also continued India’s positive start at the Asian Para Games, with Nishad becoming the country’s second gold medallist on Monday.

Earlier, Mona Agarwal won gold in the women’s 10m air rifle (SH1) event after staging a stirring comeback in the final to beat compatriot Avani Lekhara. The result gave India a one-two finish, with Avani settling for silver. Mona, a bronze medallist at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, climbed from sixth place to set an Asian Para Games record of 250.0 points.

She finished just 0.4 points ahead of Avani, who scored 249.6. Avani, a two-time Paralympic champion, had entered the competition as the defending champion but had to settle for silver as Mona produced a decisive performance in the final.