History at Kalinga Stadium! Sarvesh Kushare breaks national record in men’s high jump to become first Indian to clear 2.30m

Sarvesh Kushar. (file photo) Indian athletics witnessed a historic day at the National Inter-State Athletics Championship in Bhubaneswar where two long-standing national records were broken.Sarvesh Kushare created a new national record in men’s high jump after clearing 2.31m at the 65th National Senior Inter-State Athletics Championships at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Friday. The athlete from Maharashtra also became the first Indian high jumper to officially clear the 2.30m mark.The 31-year-old broke the previous national record of 2.29m set by Tejaswin Shankar on April 27, 2018 in Lubbock. His jump also broke the event record of 2.25m set by B Chethan at the 2018 National Interstate Championships in Guwahati.Kushare had already cleared the Asian Games qualification mark of 2.19m. He cleared 2.31m in his third attempt to set a new national record. He then made two attempts at 2.35m but was unable to clear the height.Tamil Nadu’s Aadarsh ​​Ram finished second after clearing 2.25m. His effort also bettered the previous event record and pushed him past the Asian Games qualification mark. Karnataka’s Jesse Sandesh finished third with a jump of 2.19m, matching the qualifying mark.The performance adds another success to Kushare’s career. He represented India at the Paris Olympics and remained one of the country’s regular performers in the high jump at both domestic and international competitions.His latest performance of 2.31m gives India a new national benchmark in the event ahead of a busy season that includes the Asian Games.Kushare also made history at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. He became the first Indian high jumper to qualify for the World Championship finals. He finished sixth with a then personal best of 2.28m, which remains the best finish by an Indian high jumper in the history of the World Championships.Meanwhile, Kerala’s Ancy Sojan produced a stunning performance in the women’s long jump to break a record that stood for more than two decades and was held by one of India’s greatest athletes, Anju Bobby George.25-year-old Ancy jumped 6.88 meters and set a new national record, bettering Anju Bobby George’s previous mark of 6.83 meters which was achieved during the 2004 Olympic season in Athens. Her achievement marks a major milestone in Indian athletics and signals the arrival of a new benchmark in the event. Ancy’s record-breaking effort was the highlight of the day at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, where the National Inter-State Championship is being held from June 24-28. The jump by the Kerala athlete ended Anju Bobby George’s 22-year reign as the national record holder in women’s long jump.