Union Sports Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya felicitated para powerlifter Jhandu Kumar at his residence on Monday, awarding him INR 10 lakh in recognition of his bronze medal win in the men's heavyweight category at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland. Kumar achieved his medal with a best lift of 190kg.
The 29-year-old athlete from Nalanda district, Bihar, comes from a humble background and previously sold vegetables and drove an e-rickshaw in Harnaut town to support his family before being selected by chief para coach Rajender Rahelu for training at SAI NCOE Gandhinagar in June 2023. Kumar expressed overwhelming excitement about receiving social media recognition from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, noting that this encouragement motivated him to perform better.
Prior to his Commonwealth Games success, Kumar won silver and gold medals in the Khelo India Para Games 2024 and 2025 editions respectively. He now aims to compete in the Asian Para Games scheduled from October 18 to 24, 2026, in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, where he identifies China as strong competition but promises to secure another medal for India.