India’s rising pole vault talent Kavinraja S, the 2025 U20 Federation Cup champion, has had a journey he won’t soon forget, and not for the right reasons. Fresh from Bhubaneswar after competing at the indoor nationals where he won gold in the U20 category, Kavinraja instead found himself stuck at the railway station with his poles and no clear way home.
According to a report by NNIS Sports, the young vaulter was stranded for more than 12 hours at the Rajahmundry railway station while trying to travel back with his equipment. What should have been a routine return trip quickly turned into a frustrating ordeal.
Because here’s the thing with pole vaulting, you’re not just traveling with a bag, but essentially a long, awkward, flexible device that doesn’t exactly fit in an Indian train compartment. And this time it became the center of the problem.
WHAT HAPPENED TO KAVINRAJA?
The trouble began with what was supposed to be a straight comeback from a successful outing in Bhubaneswar where Kavinraja added another under-20 gold to his growing list of achievements.
Since there was no space inside the train carriage to place the poles, Kavinraja and the other athletes had to improvise and tie them securely to the outside near the window. Initially, there was no objection from the railway staff at Rajahmundry and it seemed that things could be managed.
We have high expectations of our athletes – but watch this to understand how we as a country sometimes treat them.
The athlete reached out to us and this is his ordeal:
Junior pole vault champion Kavin Raja was left stranded at a railway station – with his poles.
India is rising pic.twitter.com/yWoIDT6JKw— nnis Sports (@nnis_sports) May 5, 2026
But halfway through, things took a turn.
The ropes securing the poles were reportedly cut while the train was in motion. It was only when one of the athletes noticed the unfolding situation that an alarm sounded, leading to an emergency pull on the chain to stop the train.
Hours of uncertainty followed. Kavinraja and others were left to fend for themselves, dealing not only with delays but also the fear of losing essential equipment, something no pole vaulter can afford.
WHO IS KAVINRAJA AND WHY YOU SHOULD KNOW HIM?
If the name isn’t known yet, it probably will be soon.
Kavinraja is one of India’s most promising young pole vaulters, quietly building a reputation in a discipline where the country is still growing. Hailing from Salem, Tamil Nadu, he started out as a decathlete before literally finding his rhythm in the pole vault.
His rise has been steady and impressive. He constantly breaks the 5 m mark and performs well in national competitions.
At the 2026 U-20 Federation Cup, he cleared 5.12m, breaking his own event record and even shot from 5.21m, a height that would match the U-20 national record. He has already crossed the Asian and World U-20 qualifying standards, a sign of where he is headed.
Off the field adds more depth to his story. Kavinraja comes from a humble background and often talks about taking up the sport not only for himself but also to fulfill his father’s unrealized dreams.
And that’s where the contrast comes in the most. At a time when India is talking about chasing bigger medals on the global stage, athletes like Kavinraja are expected to deliver those moments.
Yet at the moment, the image of the emerging champion is not on the runway.
It’s about a man stuck in a train station, holding on to his poles and waiting for the system to catch up.
– The end
Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
05 May 2026 14:51 IST
