Dharmaraj Solairaj wins gold in men's T44/T62/T64 long jump at Para Asiad

NAGOYA: India's Dharmaraj Solairaj smashed the Asian record to clinch gold in the men's T44/T62/T64 long jump combined event, successfully defending his title at the Asian Para Games here on Thursday.

The 32-year-old from Tamil Nadu, who competes in the T64 classification, set a new Asian record with a winning jump of 7.15m, which came in his second attempt.

Malaysia's Eddy Bernard (T44) secured the silver with a best jump of 6.34m while local favourite Yuma Tamaki (T64) logged a personal best of 6.89m to take home the bronze.

T64, T62 and T44 athletes often compete together in a combined event as World Para Athletics groups lower-limb classes together to ensure enough competitors and fair competition.

T64 is for long jumpers whose lower limb movement is moderately affected, or who have an amputation of one or both legs below the knee, while T62 is for athletes with a bilateral below-the-knee (double) limb deficiency or impairment who compete standing up using running prostheses.

T44 is for lower-limb impaired athletes who compete using two anatomical limbs without prostheses.