Puri Hails Praveen Kumar's Gold, Banti's Silver at Asian Para Games 2026
Synopsis
Praveen Kumar defended his gold with a 2.05m Games Record and Banti claimed silver in the Men's High Jump T64 at Asian Para Games 2026, delivering India a double podium celebrated by Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.
Key Takeaways
Praveen Kumar defended his gold medal in the Men's High Jump T64 at the Asian Para Games 2026 with a new Games Record of 2.05 metres .
Banti claimed the silver medal in the same event, achieving a personal best.
India secured a double podium — gold and silver — in a single para-athletics event.
Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri congratulated both athletes on October 21, 2026 , tagging the Paralympic Committee of India and PSPB.
The Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) has an institutional role in supporting Indian para-athletes from public-sector undertakings.
India recorded its best-ever medal tally at the 2023 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou and is building on that momentum in 2026.
A new Games Record etched into the history books — and India celebrating another double podium. Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri took to X on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, to salute para-athlete Praveen Kumar for defending his gold medal in the Men's High Jump T64 at the Asian Para Games 2026 with a phenomenal clearance of 2.05 metres, a new Games Record — while compatriot Banti soared to silver with a brilliant personal best in the same event.
A defended gold and a Games Record at 2.05m
Praveen Kumar's performance was no lucky leap — it was a statement of dominance. Clearing 2.05 metres to set a new Asian Para Games Record, he backed up a previous gold-medal winning campaign and announced himself, emphatically, as the continent's best in the T64 category. The T64 classification covers athletes with a single below-knee amputation or similar leg impairment who compete with a prosthetic running blade — a discipline that demands explosive technique and extraordinary balance.
Banti's silver, sealed with a personal best, ensured India swept the top two places on the podium — a 'magnificent double podium finish,' in the Minister's words — a result that will resonate well beyond the athletics track.
Why Petroleum Minister Puri is cheering for these athletes
Puri's enthusiasm is more than a minister's courtesy post. The Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB), which falls under his ministry, has a long history of sponsoring and nurturing athletes drawn from public-sector oil undertakings, giving many para-athletes structured employment and elite training support. His post tagged both @PCI_IN_Official (the Paralympic Committee of India) and @pspbmedia, signalling the institutional connection between India's petroleum sector and its para-sports pipeline.
Indian ministers across portfolios have increasingly used para-sport victories as a platform to signal the government's commitment to inclusive sporting excellence — but the PSPB link gives Puri's congratulations a concrete, institutional weight that goes beyond optics.
India's rising arc at the Asian Para Games
India's trajectory at the Asian Para Games has been sharply upward. At the 2023 edition in Hangzhou, India recorded its best-ever medal tally at the event — a benchmark the 2026 contingent is now building on. A double podium in a field event like the high jump, complete with a Games Record, adds quality to that quantity: India is not just accumulating medals, it is resetting the bar for what Asian para-athletics looks like.
With the Games still underway, all eyes are on India's final tally — and whether the momentum from the track and field events carries through to other disciplines.
Two athletes, one bar, and a record that now belongs to India — the Asian Para Games 2026 has given the country a moment worth far more than two medals.
Point of View
And the results — a defended gold plus a Games Record — are the payoff. Puri's post, tagging both the Paralympic Committee and the PSPB, is a reminder that India's para-sports success is increasingly institutional, not incidental. As the next Paralympic cycle approaches, these Asian Para Games performances serve as a live selection-and-confidence barometer for the national programme. The key question is whether the policy and funding architecture that produced this moment is deepened or treated as a PR opportunity.
NationPress
21 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Praveen Kumar the para-athlete?
Praveen Kumar is an Indian para-athlete competing in the T64 high jump category, which is for athletes with a below-knee limb impairment using a running prosthesis. He won gold at the Asian Para Games 2026 with a new Games Record of 2.05 metres, defending a previous gold.
What is the T64 classification in para-athletics?
T64 is a para-athletics classification for field and track events covering athletes with a unilateral below-knee amputation or equivalent impairment who compete using a running prosthetic blade.
What did India win at the Asian Para Games 2026 in high jump?
India won both gold and silver in the Men's High Jump T64 at the Asian Para Games 2026 — Praveen Kumar took gold with a new Games Record of 2.05m, and Banti claimed silver with a personal best.
What is the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB)?
The Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) is a sports body under the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas that sponsors and employs athletes from public-sector petroleum undertakings, supporting their training and competitive careers.
When are the Asian Para Games 2026 taking place?
The Asian Para Games 2026 are ongoing as of October 21, 2026. The exact host city and full schedule are part of the event's current edition, with India among the leading medal-winning nations.
