Why Sharad Kumar owes success to Ukraine

Paralympian Sharad Kumar credited his three-month long training stint in Keiv, the Ukraine, for his good show at the World Para Athletics in London last month. The 25-year-old produced a personal best effort of 1.84m to claim the silver medal in the men’s T42 high jump category behind Sam Grewe of USA (1.86m).

Kumar’s compatriot, Rio Paralympics bronze medallist Varun Singh Bhati, leapt 1.77m to take the bronze.

“Ukraine helped me manage myself in all ways. It taught me the real concept of high jump. It made me realise how a professional athletes trains and feels right before a competition. My coach Nikitan did a great job to help me mature as an athlete ahead of the Worlds,” Sharad told this paper.

Sharad said he doesn’t regret missing out on the gold but was disappointed at not producing a better display. He is now targeting a medal at the 2018 Asian Games, but his ultimate goal is the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo.

“I used to train for one session. My coach planned my chart. I never knew what I had to train for the next day.

“Only coach knew. He always did something that would help me enjoy training and help me perform. He has an amazing way of handling his athletes. Always adding something new. He had designed equipment all by himself. I plan to copy them. Training in Ukraine helped me realise that sportsmen are artists too. It was not just for me to feel good while jumping but also it was to let the people around enjoy a well-executed jump.”

Sharad went to Kiev on his own expense and spent around Rs 3 lakh, which he earned though prize money and scholarships but said the sacrifice paid off.

“After missing the podium at the Rio Paralymics, the London Worlds was very important for me. So that no one could write me off. To gain PCI and government support I had to clinch a medal. So I planned that the London Worlds could be the target and planned well in advance. Luckily it worked all fine,” he said.

“I spent a few lakhs. Now non-profit venture Go Sports have taken me on board. This will be a really big help. Government help can be in near future but as of now I have heard nothing.”

Five years ago, when Sharad Kumar was banned for a doping violation, his dream of representing India at the London Paralympics was shattered.

Kumar came to Delhi to appear in the BA exams at Kirori Mal College and would later claim that his supplements were tampered with during his time away from the national camp in Bengaluru.

“The experience was very emotional for me as it was London. It took me back to 2012 and reminded me the Paralympic Games that I missed. I wanted to prove what I lost in London and show my caliber that I am not a cheat. I just tried to recreate 2012 for myself,” said Sharad, whose next next tournament is the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia, Jakarta.

Sharad lamented the lack of awareness regarding para athletes in the country and when asked how the response was after returning home, he said, “It was okay. I guess things in India will always remain the same for para athletes. Unless the awareness is spread.”

Born in Kodarkatta Purantola village in Motihari tehsil of Bihar, Sharad contacted polio, which affected his left leg at the age of two.

With father Surender Kumar being a farmer who was keen for his son to study, he was enrolled in St Paul’s School in Darjeeling, where he took up high jump in his later years.