Two Indian athletes, one gold, one silver — and a new Games Record to boot. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav celebrated a landmark double for India at the Asian Para Games 2026 on Wednesday, October 21, congratulating TOPS athlete Praveen Kumar for defending his gold medal in the Men's High Jump T64 with a new Games Record of 2.05 metres, and Banti for clinching silver with a personal best of 1.92 metres.

Praveen Kumar clears 2.05m — a record that rewrites the bar

Praveen Kumar's 2.05m clearance is not just a gold-medal performance — it is a new Games Record, meaning no athlete in the T64 category has jumped higher at the Asian Para Games. That he has now defended the title makes it rarer still: back-to-back gold at a continental para games demands sustained excellence across a four-year competitive cycle, not a single peak moment.

The T64 classification covers athletes with a lower-limb impairment who compete using a prosthetic running blade. Competing in this category at the elite international level requires not just athleticism but extraordinary technical mastery of the blade — making Praveen's record-setting clearance all the more striking.

Banti's 1.92m personal best completes India's 1-2

Banti's silver-medal jump of 1.92 metres was a personal best, meaning the Asian Para Games 2026 stage drew the finest performance of his career. A personal best in a final is the competitive sweet spot — pressure at its highest, athlete at their sharpest. India finishing first and second in the same para athletics event is the kind of result that signals depth, not just individual brilliance.

TOPS investment behind the podium finish

Praveen Kumar is listed under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), the central government programme launched in 2014 to channel financial and coaching resources toward athletes with genuine podium potential at global events, including para competitions. TOPS support typically covers training costs, equipment, exposure camps, and access to elite coaches — exactly the infrastructure that turns raw talent into a Games Record holder.

India significantly expanded its para-sports support architecture after the 2016 Rio Paralympics, and back-to-back continental titles in a field event represent a visible return on that investment. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav's message — calling it 'a proud moment for Bharat' — reflects the now-established pattern of state and central leaders amplifying para-sports achievements as markers of national pride alongside mainstream athletic results.