Paralympics Medallist Sharad Kumar Worried About His Coach in Ukraine

He is included in the sports ministry's Target Olympic Podium scheme.

New Delhi: Tokyo Paralympics bronze-medallist Sharad Kumar is tracking developments relating to the Russian military operation in Ukraine as he is worried about the safety of his coach Nikitin Yevhen there. Yevhen is based in Kharkiv, the second largest city of Ukraine and around 500km from capital Kyiv.

“Just spoke to my coach in Ukraine Kharkiv, he is worried, he can hear bombing from his room, he is planning to move to his garage underground,” Kumar tweeted.

Kumar had trained in Kharkiv under Yevhen for more than four years before winning a high jump bronze in Tokyo Paralympics last year. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday announced the launch of a military operation in eastern Ukraine.

Yevhen was earlier in India as a Sports Authority of India coach. Sharad, who hails from Bihar and suffered a paralysis in his left leg due to spurious polio medication during a local eradication drive, is a double Asian Para Games (2014 and 2018) high jump champion and world silver medallist (2019).

He is included in the sports ministry’s Target Olympic Podium scheme.