3 min readMar 11, 2026 10:51 PM IST Shailesh Kumar, reigning world champion in men’s high jump T63 category, opened his 2026 season with a gold medal at the ongoing World Para Athletics Grand Prix in New Delhi on Wednesday. Opening his season with a best jump of 1.84 m, Shailesh had clinched the gold medal last year in front of the home crowd at the World Para Athletics Championships, making it his first major medal. While the mark of 1.84m is below his personal best of 1.91m, Shailesh was happy with the performance given this was the season opener. “I am happy with the result. After the World Championships, I had pain in my left knee. So, our plan was to start the season here and do that with a decent mark. My body felt good today,” Shailesh said after his performance. The athlete from Bihar has his eyes fixed on the upcoming Asian Para Games which is a high-priority competition for the Indian athletes in this calendar. “Since the World Championship, I have …