People asked me why I was playing sports after polio struck my right leg: Shailesh

New Delhi, Sep 27 (PTI) Shailesh Kumar faced ridicule from the people of his village in Bihar when he took up para sports after his right leg was affected by polio as a kid, but he hung on and his determination paid off when he won his maiden World Championships gold here on Saturday.

The 25-year-old Shailesh, the 2023 Asian Para Games champion, cleared 1.91m to shatter the championships record and win the gold in the men's high jump T63 event on the opening day of the showpiece event here. Shailesh's triumph also opened the gold medal account for India in the competition.

Born to a farming family at Islamnagar village in Jamui district of Bihar, Shailesh's right foot was affected by polio when he was a kid.

"I used to compete with able-bodied athletes when I was in school. People told me why I was playing sports (despite affected by polio). They would say 'do a job or do something else'," Shailesh told PTI after the win.

"But I hung on and continued with my sport. There were no facilities for sports in my village. My friend, who is a triple jumper, told me about Paralympics and I decided to try.

"I saw in 2016 Rio Paralympics that this game happens in my category, so I decided to start in para sports. I met a lot of Paralympians and talked to them. They told me about the categories. I understood the game and participated in it and that's how my journey started," he added.

Shailesh is an athlete in T42 classification, meant for those who have single above-the-knee amputations or a disability that is comparable. T63 classification is for athletes with single through knee or above knee limb deficiency.

T63 and T42 athletes can be combined in a single event in case of less number of competing athletes, and the process was followed on Saturday.

Shailesh had narrowly missed the bronze in the 2024 Paris Paralympics to compatriot Mariyappan Thangavelu on count back, after both cleared 1.85m. Ezra Frech of the USA, who won the gold in Paris, settled for a silver on Saturday.

"I was preparing for Paralympics last year. Unfortunately, I finished fourth. Paralympics is a big event. It happens once every four years. I was demotivated," he said.

"When I went home and met my family. They told me to accept it, take a break and start again. It took me a while to come back. I took a break for two to two-and-a-half months and again I started from zero. My target was to win the World Championships. I trained well and my coach (Raunak Malik) supported me." He was with Khelo India Scheme from 2019 to 2023 and trained in Gandhinagar as well.

"When I was in Khelo India Scheme, I got a lot of support. I have been in the TOPS for the last two years and I got a lot of support from it. It improved my performance." PTI PDS PDS DDV