CHENNAI : "Before the 2.08m jump, I closed my eyes and saw my parents and coach urging me to go for the record," Praveen Kumar said after the gold at the Paris Paralympics on Friday in T64 category. On another level, these words also showed how integral a part parents and the coach played in shaping his life. If not for them, he would not have been a Paralympic champion with a record-breaking effort.
Praveen had some profound words for those battling with disabilities back home. "I would like to say that you get out of the house and take steps towards your goal. There will be problems, but then in everyone's life there are problems but don't be afraid of that."
Until about three months ago, Praveen was battling with a groin injury. The Paralympics was looming and during the Worlds, he was struggling. "I wasn't able to put too much pressure and exert myself and told coach sir," he said after the gold effort. An MRI was done. The injury had to be treated as early as possible. Praveen said that because of his coach Satyapal Singh and other support staff, he was up and running within 15 days. "My coach asked me to jump my personal best and he also told me that if I do that, I would be winning gold," the 21-year-old said, who is no stranger to competing with able-bodied athletes as well.
Praveen's story is more or less about getting up and running all the time. He used to run around and cycle a lot too. That gave him a lot of strength, according to his coach. Born to a modest family in Govindgarh near Greater Noida, life had not been too smooth for Praveen but he found solace in sport. First it was volleyball and later when he shifted to Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, it was jumps, long and high.
Coach Satyapal revealed how his leg strength was unique and that made him lethal in a sport. The coach admitted that his height was a concern but that he masked through his strong legs. "He used to play volleyball and even cycle about 12 kms up and down from school and practice," said the coach. "It is like this. Every person plays something or the other as a child and that helps them to develop something.
In his case, he used to play volleyball and cycle — 3 kms one way to school and then to volleyball. He used to play volleyball with one leg and gave him the unique strength. When I tested, I realised that his leg strength was very good. Height was not much, he couldn't have sprinted or even thrown because he could not rely on both legs. Because of his explosive power, I thought he should do high jump."
Satyapal also said that Praveen is an exceptional athlete. "There are three things that people don't know," he said. "For high jump, you need height but he is around 5'6". Another factor is leg strength but in his case one leg is shorter. So for high jump he has to rely on only one leg."
The coach imparts training to both para and able-bodied athletes. That could be one of the reasons for Praveen to soar to newer heights. Apart from the gold and silver at two consecutive Paralympics Games, the athlete has won Asian Para medal as well. "He started to win medals right after joining me in 2018, which is incredible," said Satyapal.
On the part of the athlete, the coach's push for 2.05m helped him clear 2.08m on Friday. "My coach kept pushing me to cross the bar at 2.05m and during practice I even managed 2.08m and 2.10m," he said. On the final day he could not cross the 2.10m.
Yet, for an athlete who started as a volleyball player to win gold is not a mean feat.