Jewar para-athlete Praveen Kumar bags Padma Shri at 23
The Padma Shri completes a rare three major national sports awards for Praveen in five years. He won a silver medal in the men’s high jump T64 event at the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics, which earned him the Arjuna Award the same year. He passed his personal record of 2.08 meters at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, turning silver into gold and was awarded the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna in January 2025.
Praveen said that the Padma Shri announcement came while he was studying in Delhi. According to him, he was informed about the honor by a phone call from a sports ministry official and then spoke to his family. He described the recognition as both motivating and a responsibility to perform consistently.
Since receiving the Khel Ratna, Praveen has continued to improve his record. At the World Para Athletics Championships held in New Delhi in September-October last year, he won the bronze medal in the T64 high jump by clearing the season’s best of 2 metres.
Praveen said that he is currently aiming for a jump of 2.1 metres, which would be an Asian record, while the world record of 2.11 meters remains the long-term reference point. His focus is on the Asian Games in Japan later this year and the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics.
Praveen, who has been with South Extension-I in Delhi since 2023, trains for seven to eight hours a day at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. He said moving closer to the stadium helped him train more effectively but he continues to visit his hometown in Jewar, Govindgarh, when the time comes.
Praveen started his sports journey at Pragyan School in Greater Noida; Here she played volleyball and competed with healthy athletes. She started high jumping during an athletics meet in 2016 and switched to para-athlete after meeting coach Satyapal Singh at a district-level competition in 2018. Singh has been guiding him ever since. The Padma Shri announcement triggered celebrations in Govindgarh village, where Praveen’s parents distributed sweets. His father, Amarpal Singh, who works in the irrigation department, said the family has been receiving congratulatory calls since the announcement.
Praveen said he plans to visit the village over the weekend and frequently interacts with children and young para-athletes seeking guidance on training and opportunities. He also said that he is trying to connect aspiring athletes with the Paralympic Committee of India and inform them about government programs for para-athletes.
With inputs from TOI
