Sharad Kumar (Athlete) Height, Age, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Profession	Indian Para High Jumper
Famous for	Winning the bronze medal in the F42 category of men’s high jump at the Tokyo Para Games 2020.
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 181 cm in meters- 1.81 m in feet & inches- 5’ 11”
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black
High Jump
International Debut	2010 Asian Para Games held in Guangzhou
Coach/Mentor	Evgeny Nikitin (Personal)
Medals	Gold • 2014: Asian Para Games held in Incheon, South Korea • 2018: Asian Para Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia Silver • 2017: World Para Athletics Championships, London Bronze • 2021: Tokyo 2020 Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, Japan
Personal Life
Date of Birth	1 March 1992 (Sunday)
Age (as of 2021)	29 Years
Birthplace	Muzaffarpur, Bihar
Zodiac sign	Pisces
Nationality	Indian
Religion	Hinduism [1]Hindustan Times
Hometown	Muzaffarpur, Bihar
School	• St. Paul's School Darjeeling • Modern School Delhi
College/University	• Kirori Mal College, Delhi • Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi
Educational Qualifications	• Bachelor of Political Science • Post Graduate in Politics with Specialization in International relations [2]Hindustan Times
Hobbies	Reading, Watching Movies
Controversy	Sharad Kumar was tested positive for a banned drug just before his entry to the 2020 London Paralympics. [3]New18
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Unmarried
Affairs/Girlfriends	Not Known
Family
Wife/Spouse	N/A
Parents	Father- Surendra Kumar (Businessman) Mother- Kumkum Devi (Homemaker)
Siblings	Brother- Name not known (Athlete)
Favourites
Tennis Player	Roger Federer
Food	Curry Rice
Actor	Shah Rukh Khan
Actress	Jennifer Aniston
Film	The Last Samurai (2003)
Dialogue	“Bond! James Bond” and his own dialogue “Let"s get started, All”
Holiday Destination(s)	Goa, London

Some Lesser Known Facts About Sharad Kumar

• Sharad Kumar is an Indian para high jumper who represented India at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. He was ranked as the world no. 1 para high jumper after breaking a 12-year Asian Games record at the 2014 Asian Para Games.

• At the age of 2, Sharad suffered from a paralysis attack that made his left leg completely paralysed after he took spurious polio medicine.

• Sharad’s journey of becoming a high jumper began in 1995 when he was enrolled at St. Paul’s School, a boarding school in Darjeeling, where he was balancing his education and sports very well. He was the only handicapped student in his class but never faced any stigma for being differently-abled until one day when he was not allowed to run in an athletic event held at his school. It was at this moment when Sharad felt that he needed to work on himself and participate in sports.

• Sharad drew his inspiration to take up high jump as a career from his school’s senior players who practised high jump, and Sharad used to watch them in his free time.

• Sharad Kumar’s brother proved to be the biggest support for Sharad. It was only him who took all the responsibilities of Sharad for continuing with his passion when no one else, including the sports authorities of their school, was supporting him.  In an interview, Sharad talked about his brother. He said,
  

  My brother motivated me to be a high jumper. I broke all his records at school and it gave me the confidence to take the sport seriously. After St. Paul’s [school] I started training myself to be part of the national Paralympic team in Delhi.”

• After vigorous training, Sharad won almost all high jump competitions held at his school. By seeing his efforts, his grade 4 teacher Mr Denis, told him to participate in the Paralympics after which he went to Delhi to enrol himself at the Modern School, Barakhamba Road, Delhi, a school popular for sports training.
  

  Sharad Kumar’s moments he won in his school competitions

• Sharad Kumar marked his international debut at the 2010 Asian Para Games, held in Guangzhou, China. Next, he qualified ffor the 2012 London Paralympics, making a 1.64m mark with his high jump.

• In 2012, Sharad Kumar became the world’s no. 1 para high jumper at the age of 19, marking a jump of 1.75m at the Malaysian Open Para Athletics Championship. 2012 proved to be a miserable year for Sharad as he was tested positive in a drug case and was banned for two consecutive years, which also lead to cancellation for participation at the 2012 London Paralympics. On being asked about the incident in 2012, Sharad said,
  

  I don’t want to recall that period of my life. It was a nightmare for me. It all happened by mistake. I don’t want to say anything about this. I was tested positive but I didn’t do it intentionally. I wasn’t aware of it even. It was actually a tough time, which tormented me from inside. I used to cry blood. I many times locked myself in a room and burst into tears. Now, I have forgotten it as a bad dream. I tried to convince NADA (National Anti Doping Agency), but when I was tested positive, there was no use in banging my head again and again. I was completely devastated. I used to feel ashamed that I am fighting a doping case. But I couldn’t explain the officials.”

  

  Sharad Kumar won a silver medal at the London Paralympics 2021

• Sharad made his spectacular comeback in 2014, winning a gold medal, breaking a 12-year Asian Games record with a 1.80m jump, and becoming the world’s no. 1 para high jumper. In 2016, Sharad Kumar participated in Rio Paralympics 2016 but could finish at the 6th position only.

• Sharad Kumar bagged a silver medal with a jump of 1.84m at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships. He then won a gold medal, making a new game record and continental record with a 1.90m jump, with a 1.90m jump at the 2018 Para Asían Games, held in Jakarta. Talking about his gold win at the Para Asían Games, Sharad said,
  

  Honestly, I got goosebumps and it took some minutes for me to realise that I have won the gold medal. I was emotional on the podium but did not want to cry. Watching the tricolour being hoisted and hearing the National Anthem was an amazing feeling. I can still feel the moment.”

  He further added,

  I didn’t know about that. After I performed and was awarded the gold medal, then my team members told me about the record. It was like a cherry on the cake for me.”

  https://youtu.be/QQyC6UJT8Uk

• Sharad Kumar was trained under Mr. Satyanarayana, National Para Athletics Coach, from March 2015 until 2017 when he went to Ukraine under the TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme by the Government of India). Shifting to Ukraine was not less than a nightmare for him as moving to a new country and not knowing the local language created several barriers for him. He could not make new friends and also faced emotional as well as financial scantiness. Sharad Kumar spent almost 17 months of the pandemic in lockdown in Ukraine, which also proved to be a hurdle in his high jump practice. During an interview, Sharad talked about his experience. He said,
  

  After three days (of the announcement to postpone the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics) it struck me that 17 months is a lot of time when you had a fixed goal, for which you had put in four years of hard work. For me, being in Ukraine is for one target. All of a sudden, it’s wiped out and you have to train for another one-and-a-half year. You tend to lose interest.”

• Sharad Kumar while living in Ukraine faced financial issues as the funding he received only took care of his accommodation and coaching fees. To bear his personal expenses, Sharad started trading and investing in the stock market. He used to read more about the economic situation of the world and what was a good time to invest; he also took online courses for the same.

• Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games is one of the highlights of Sharad Kumar’s career. Sharad jumped to 1.83m at the Paralympic event and bagged a bronze medal, making the whole country (India) proud.

• Sharad Kumar suffered meniscus dislocation, just a night before the final Olympic event. According to Sharad, he cried the whole night and eventually thought of pulling himself out of the final event. But just before doing that he called up his father who suggested him to read Bhagavad Gita helped him to overcome the anxiety for a bronze-winning effort.

• Sharad Kumar’s father, Surendra Kumar, dedicated his win to Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying he was the one who motivate Sharad to keep up with hard work and deliver his best. Surendra Kumar, during an interview, said,
  

  We have been waiting for this moment. During his journey of practice and hard work, my son was losing patience and was a bit disappointed. However, it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who motivated and encouraged him. And finally, he has done it and made the country proud. Credit goes to the Prime Minister.”