Sarvesh Kushare claimed the podium in the men’s high jump after a sensational Diamond League debut

Indian high jumper Sarvesh Kushare marked his Diamond League debut in historic fashion when he finished third at the Monaco Diamond League on Friday, becoming only the fourth Indian athlete to finish on the podium at a Diamond League meet.

The 31-year-old national record holder cleared 2.26m to secure third place in a world-class field and produced an unblemished streak leading up to his final height. Kushare cleared 2.12m, 2.16m, 2.20m, 2.23m and 2.26m, clearing each bar on his first attempt and falling short of 2.28m.

The podium finish capped off a remarkable rise for the Maharashtra athlete, who just weeks ago rewrote Indian athletics history by clearing 2.31m at the National Interstate Championships in Bhubaneswar. The leap broke Tejaswin Shankar’s eight-year-old national record of 2.29m and made Kushare the first Indian to break the 2.30m mark.

Competing against some of the biggest names in the world high jump, Kushare showed no signs of nervousness in his Diamond League debut. The Indian looked confident throughout the competition, matching the world’s best with consistency, before narrowly missing out on a higher finish after failing all three attempts at 2.28m.

The result makes Kushare only the fourth Indian to secure a top-three finish at a Diamond League meet, joining an elite list that includes Neeraj Chopra, Vikas Gowda and Murali Sreeshankar.

MONACO DIAMOND LEAGUE RESULT

Monaco Diamond League: Men’s High Jump Result

The performance also underlined the form that has taken Kushare to the top of the world this season. Entering Monaco, the Indian was ranked fourth in the world and settled at the top of the Asian season rankings after a record-breaking jump in Bhubaneswar.

After setting the national record earlier this month, Kushare said he wants to regularly test himself against the world’s best.

“2.31m is a mark that can help me get on the podium on the global stage,” said Kushare.

“I don’t want this mark to last long. I want to compete in more competitions and compete with the best in the world.”

He did exactly that in Monaco.

With the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya scheduled for later this year, Kushare’s historic debut in the Diamond League offers further indication that the Indian high jumper is emerging as a genuine contender on the global stage.

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Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

Jul 11, 2026 01:48 IST