SHARAD AND VARUN WINS DOUBLE MEDAL AT WORLD PARA ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

WORLD PARA ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS- High Jump T42: Indian High Jumpers bagged Two Medals

It was our medal favorite event in this year's London Para World Championship where Rio Gold and Bronze Medalist Mariyappan Thangavelu and Varun Singh Bhati and closely missed, Rio 4th, Sharad Kumar, were in the fray for Men’s High Jump T42 Finals. And putting all doubts to rest, Indian duo of Sharad Kumar and Varun Singh Bhati won the Silver and Bronze Medal respectively.



The event saw India’s trio up against other high jumpers from around the world. But Rio Gold Medalist Thangavelu was not in the starting list due to injury. So, everyone expected a podium finish for both Sharad Kumar and Varun Singh Bhati, but as per previous PB, Varun was the clear winner over Sharad. Sharad's previous PB was 1.80m, while Varun Singh's was 1.86m.

But to everyone's surprise, reversing all expectations, Sharad Kumar went passed his life time best of 1.80 m and stood a neck to neck competition with USA's Sam Grewe. Competition for the podium looked to be hotting up as both Sharad and Sam cleared  had cleared the 1.84 metres mark. Sharad ,clearing 1.84 set a new PB for himself and also crossed the previous championship record. But then, there came a twist when Sharad couldn't clear the 1.86m mark while USA’s Grewe would not give up on the Gold medal so easily and ended up clearing the mark as well.



Meanwhile ,world number two, Varun Singh Bhati with a jump of 1.77 metres secured himself a bronze medal. He couldn't clear 1.84m and was out of the race of finishing in final two.



In what was a nail-biting climax to the event, eventually Indians grabbed up two out of three medals in London. Sharad's PB of 1.84m winning him Silver and Varun Singh Bhati settled for a Bronze.



GOLD MEDAL – Sam Grewe (USA)  – 1.86 m

SILVER MEDAL – Sharad Kumar(India) – 1.84 m(PB)

BRONZE MEDAL –  Varun Singh Bhati (India) – 1.77 m