'Started again from zero': Shailesh Kumar’s journey from Paralympic heartbreak to World Championships gold

Shailesh Kumar smashed the championship record en route to his gold medal.

After his heartbreaking fourth-place finish at the Paris Paralympics last year, Shailesh Kumar needed a two-month break to comes to terms with it. On Saturday, he made it worth the wait, upsetting the champion in Paris, Ezra Frech of USA, to clinch gold in men’s high jump T63.

He did it in style, setting a new championship record with a jump of 1.91m. Shailesh’s gold opened India’s medal tally on Day 1 of the World Para Athletics Championships 2025. Varun Bhati then added to it with a bronze in the same event.

Shailesh Kumar wins India's first medal!! 🇮🇳🥇He clears a championship record of 1.91m to bag the gold medal in men's high jump T63m final and become India's first medallist at the World Archery Para Championships 2025. 🥳#WPAC2025 #ParaSports pic.twitter.com/rvGrFQvSV3

— Khel Now (@KhelNow) September 27, 2025

With gold already secured, Shailesh, who hails from Bihar’s Jamui district, went for the World Record (1.96m), but fell short at 1.94m.

Speaking to the media after the event, the 25-year-old was delighted with his performance and shared about his journey from Islamnagar in Bihar to being crowned para world champion.

Here are some excerpts from the interview:

Q) How does it feel to be crowned World Champion on home turf?

Shailesh Kumar: It feels really good to win on home ground. The atmosphere and the crowd were great, and I got a lot of support from the fans.

Secondly, the weather in India is good for me since we train here. And thirdly, the Indian food, which we don’t get much of when we travel abroad, helped me a lot.

It is a bit hot here [in Delhi]. We had been training in Bangalore for the last six–seven months, where it was cold. So, we came here 10 days earlier so our bodies could adapt, and that was good. It feels great to win the gold medal.

Also Read: Shailesh Kumar wins India’s first gold at World Para Athletics Championships 2025

Q) Can you tell us about your journey?

Shailesh Kumar: I come from a small village in Bihar, Islamnagar in the Jamui district. There aren’t many good sports facilities there. My journey began in the village itself. Luckily, I had access to a sports school, so I started competing in the able-bodied category.

I started with the high jump. In 2016, I won gold in the Sub-Junior Able-Bodied Bihar State Championships. One of my friends noticed my leg problem and suggested I try para-sports once.

That’s when I met many para-athletes and spoke with them. They explained to me about the different categories, and I realized this was where I belonged. That’s how my para-sports journey started.

Q) How did you get to SAI Gandhinagar?

Shailesh Kumar: I’ve been training at SAI Gandhinagar since 2019. I got selected for the first time after winning gold at the Junior World Championships.

I was told, “SAI is selecting you for Khelo India, you’ll get a monthly stipend of 10 thousand rupees, and you’ll have to stay there.”

I felt the support was good, so I decided to go and try. The facilities were excellent, and I liked it there. Since then, I’ve trained there continuously, and I’m still an SAI athlete from Gandhinagar.

Also Read: India at World Para Athletics Championships 2025: Schedule, results, live streaming details

Q) You finished fourth in Paris Paralympics. After that, how did you get the motivation?

Shailesh Kumar: Yes, I was very well prepared for Paris, but unfortunately, I finished fourth. The Paralympics is the biggest event, and it only comes once every four years, so I was quite demotivated.

When I went home, my family consoled me. They told me it’s okay; it’s part of sports, victory and defeat both happen. They said, “Take it as experience, rest for some time, and then start again.”

Initially, I thought to take a break for one month, but then the time went so fast that I couldn’t recover from the heartbreaking fourth position.

So, I took a break of about two and a half months. After that, I started again from zero. My target for this year was the World Championships. I trained hard; my coach, Raunak Malik, supported me a lot, and I also got tremendous help from the support staff in Bangalore.

I’m thankful to SAI, TOPS, and PCI for providing me with excellent facilities. That preparation helped me win gold for my country.

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A post shared by Shailesh Kumar (@shaileshkumar.hj)

Q) You were in the Khelo India scheme earlier, and now you’ve been promoted to the TOPS scheme. How was the evolution?

Shailesh Kumar: When I was starting, I was in the Khelo India scheme. The small support you get at the beginning is enough to help you reach the top. I was part of Khelo India from 2019 to 2023.

Then, in 2023, I won a silver medal at the World Championships in Paris. Based on that, I was promoted to TOPS. It’s been almost two years now, and the support I’ve received from TOPS has been tremendous.

My performance has improved a lot, and the conditions and environment there have been excellent for my growth.

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