National record falls twice as Kuldeep and Dev Meena light up men's pole vault
Kuldeep Kumar and Dev Meena lit up the Federation Cup 2026 in Ranchi with a gripping pole vault contest on Sunday, as the duo broke the men's National Record twice before finishing as joint record holders.
The men's pole vault final at the Federation Cup 2026 turned into a memorable battle between Madhya Pradesh teammates Kuldeep Kumar and Dev Kumar Meena, with both athletes clearing a joint national record height of 5.45m in Ranchi on Sunday.
Kuldeep had arrived at the competition as the national record holder after clearing 5.41m earlier this month in Bhubaneswar. But the record changed hands twice during a dramatic evening before both vaulters ended the competition tied at the top of Indian athletics history.
Dev was the first to break through, clearing 5.42m to better Kuldeep's previous national mark. The lead did not last long as Kuldeep responded with a successful jump at 5.45m to reclaim the record and raise the bar in more ways than one.
Minutes later, Dev answered again. With the crowd roaring him on, he also cleared 5.45m to ensure both athletes finished the evening as joint national record holders.
Though both athletes managed the same height, Dev secured the gold medal on countback, the tie-breaking method used in pole vault and high jump events that rewards the athlete with fewer failed attempts. Kuldeep settled for silver, while Tamil Nadu's Reegan G took bronze with 5.15m.
Both vaulters also comfortably achieved the Athletics Federation of India's qualification standard of 5.25m for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
"It was a good day for us and we will continue to push each other to further raise the bar in future," Dev said after the event.
The two training partners were not done after 5.45m. With the crowd fully behind them, both attempted 5.50m in search of another national record. Neither could clear the height, but the contest had already become one of the standout moments of the Federation Cup.
Sunday also saw strong performances in other field events.
Murali Sreeshankar won the men's long jump gold with an effort of 8.08m, going past the Commonwealth Games qualification mark of 8.05m.
In the men's high jump, Sarvesh Anil Kushare cleared 2.28m to win gold and equal the meet record set by Tejaswin Shankar. Kushare later attempted 2.30m in pursuit of a national record but failed in all three attempts. Silver medallist Aadarsh Ram also crossed the Commonwealth Games qualification mark with 2.22m.
National record holder Tejas Shirse won the men's 110m hurdles title in 13.50 seconds, improving his own meet record but missing the Commonwealth Games qualification time of 13.39 seconds.
Earlier in the day, Haryana's Ravina clinched gold in the women's 10,000m race walk with a time of 44:29.66 seconds, which was inside the Commonwealth Games qualification standard.
The men's pole vault final at the Federation Cup 2026 turned into a memorable battle between Madhya Pradesh teammates Kuldeep Kumar and Dev Kumar Meena, with both athletes clearing a joint national record height of 5.45m in Ranchi on Sunday.
Kuldeep had arrived at the competition as the national record holder after clearing 5.41m earlier this month in Bhubaneswar. But the record changed hands twice during a dramatic evening before both vaulters ended the competition tied at the top of Indian athletics history.
Dev was the first to break through, clearing 5.42m to better Kuldeep's previous national mark. The lead did not last long as Kuldeep responded with a successful jump at 5.45m to reclaim the record and raise the bar in more ways than one.
Minutes later, Dev answered again. With the crowd roaring him on, he also cleared 5.45m to ensure both athletes finished the evening as joint national record holders.
Though both athletes managed the same height, Dev secured the gold medal on countback, the tie-breaking method used in pole vault and high jump events that rewards the athlete with fewer failed attempts. Kuldeep settled for silver, while Tamil Nadu's Reegan G took bronze with 5.15m.
Both vaulters also comfortably achieved the Athletics Federation of India's qualification standard of 5.25m for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
"It was a good day for us and we will continue to push each other to further raise the bar in future," Dev said after the event.
The two training partners were not done after 5.45m. With the crowd fully behind them, both attempted 5.50m in search of another national record. Neither could clear the height, but the contest had already become one of the standout moments of the Federation Cup.
Sunday also saw strong performances in other field events.
Murali Sreeshankar won the men's long jump gold with an effort of 8.08m, going past the Commonwealth Games qualification mark of 8.05m.
In the men's high jump, Sarvesh Anil Kushare cleared 2.28m to win gold and equal the meet record set by Tejaswin Shankar. Kushare later attempted 2.30m in pursuit of a national record but failed in all three attempts. Silver medallist Aadarsh Ram also crossed the Commonwealth Games qualification mark with 2.22m.
National record holder Tejas Shirse won the men's 110m hurdles title in 13.50 seconds, improving his own meet record but missing the Commonwealth Games qualification time of 13.39 seconds.
Earlier in the day, Haryana's Ravina clinched gold in the women's 10,000m race walk with a time of 44:29.66 seconds, which was inside the Commonwealth Games qualification standard.
