Discover how national record holder Sarvesh Kushare made a historic Diamond League debut in Monaco, securing a third-place finish in high jump and joining an elite club of Indian athletes.
Key Points
- Sarvesh Kushare secured a third-place finish in his Diamond League debut in Monaco.
- He cleared 2.26m, joining an elite group of four Indians to achieve a top-three Diamond League finish.
- Kushare previously set a national record of 2.31m in high jump, becoming the first Indian to clear 2.30m.
- His performance saw him outrank multiple world champions and Olympic gold medallists.
- Kushare was ranked fourth globally for season best jumps and first among Asian athletes before this event.
National record holder high jumper Sarvesh Kushare finished third in his Diamond League debut in Monaco as he joined an exclusive four-member club of Indians to have achieved the feat of making the top-three in the prestigious event.
The 31-year-old Kushare cleared 2.12m, 2.16m, 2.20m, 2.023m and 2.26m in his first try. But he failed to clear 2.28m in three attempts to take the third spot in the star-studded field.
Kushare Joins Elite Indian Athletes
With his stunning show, Kushare, who set the national record of 2.31m in the National Inter-State Championships last month, became the only fourth Indian to finish in top-three of a Diamond League after javelin throw superstar Neeraj Chopra, long jumper Murali Sreeshankar and former discus thrower Vikas Gowda.
World leader and world indoor champion Oleh Doroshchuk of Ukraine won the title after clearing 2.32m, while Great Britain's Jack Kimani was second with 2.30m. Kimani could not clear 2.32m in three attempts while Doroshchuk did it in his first try.
Kimani was, however, lucky as he could only sail over the 2.16m height in his third attempt while Kushare cleared it with ease.
Outperforming World Champions
In the process of finishing third, Kushare beat some big stars such as three-time world champion and Tokyo Olympics gold winner Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar, who finished joint eighth with 2.20m effiort, 2023 World Championships silver winner JuVaughn Harrison of the USA, who finished joint fourth, and Tokyo Olympics gold winner Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy.
However, Tamberi, who finished joint sixth with 2.23m, has been struggling of late.
National Record Holder's Achievements
On June 27, Kushare broke Tejaswin Shankar's eight-year-old previous national record of 2.29m with an effort of 2.31m. He became the first Indian high jumper to clear 2.30m.
Before Friday, Kushare was at joint fourth in the global season best jumps and number one among Asian athletes.
He also became the first Indian to qualify for the men's high jump final at the World Championships in Tokyo last year.
