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On June 27 evening, immediately after Sarvesh Kushare ended his four-year quest to better Tejaswin Shankar’s eight-year-old high jump National record of 2.28m at the National inter-state athletics meet at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar by clearing 2.31m, Tejaswin took to his ‘X’ handle to write: “Another mental barrier broken!! 2.30+ was probably the last of the sticky records. 2.34-35 is just a matter of time.”

Worlds and Olympics gold medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra endorsed Tejaswin’s statement, and Sarvesh’s achievement of becoming the first Indian to go past 2.30m, by reposting it.

With very few world-class marks to their name, Indian athletes’ hunger for success is understandable. Perhaps that appetite kept 30-year-old Sarvesh patient in the hunt to surpass the 2.30m barrier. He had missed it by a whisker when he recorded 2.28m at the Federation meet in Ranchi a month ago, before seeing his perseverance rewarded.

No excuse

“At 2.28m, my ankle slipped a little in Ranchi. I was in good condition. I still had a light injury. But I had to do it today. There was no excuse. The weather was good. The ground was also good. Overall, there was a lot of motivation. I also held the Asian Games qualifying mark for the first time. I’m improving — what more can I ask for!” said Sarvesh.

“My body felt good. My coach had said it would happen this time. I was determined. 2.30m was not happening despite my long-time effort to get it. So, I thought today I would do 2.31m. It was a lot of fun doing that,” said Sarvesh, as he displayed different antics as the bar went up and up and he kept sailing over it effortlessly.

“It was very difficult to go above 2.30m. If Tejaswin had not done 2.28m in 2018, I would not have come this far. I was also progressing slowly. Today, by the grace of God, everything went well. I have tried this during training, but I had not done it so well prior to today. Since our preparation was top-class, anything was possible.”

Now, 2.31m has placed Sarvesh as the joint fourth season leader in the world, along with British jumper Kimani Jack, and first in Asia, ahead of tied-sixth spot holders Japan’s Naoto Hasegawa and Tomohiro Shinno and Korea’s Sanghyeok Woo, who have all cleared 2.30m. “Everyone wants to win a gold medal at the Asian Games. I will also try to win one,” said Sarvesh.

Pressure under control

Sarvesh’s coach Jithin Thomas, a former Asian silver medallist with a personal best of 2.22m, shared his thoughts about the feat. “This time, the pressure was under control. I told him to stay focused and control the pressure. This time, the work was about that. I knew if we controlled the pressure, then the jump would happen.”

For Sarvesh, who competed in the Paris Olympics and was a finalist at the Tokyo World Championships last year, the right pace of his run-up did the trick. Apart from the requisite exercises, visualisation is a main activity in Sarvesh’s training.

“The difference was the run-up. Earlier, he used to pick up speed from the beginning and move uncontrollably. He was trying to speed up too early. Now, in the beginning, the speed was under control. Then gradually, it went up. He was trained that way. He needs to work on it. I told him, ‘Stay focused and you will clear it smoothly.’

“I told him that no one has done 2.30m in India. If you do 2.30m, your name will be up there as long as high jump is there in India.

Patience pays

“In high jump, there is a mark for everyone. Then it becomes stagnant. Some people pursue it for two-three years and leave it. If you have patience, then you will be able to improve it. Because Sarvesh had the patience, he could do it. There was this belief that he would do it, so now there is relief. It’s the greatest day of my life. “Because he had done (well earlier), he was after it. We were focused. We were careful that he should not pick up any injuries. There were small injuries. Still, we were focused. We kept talking about it. The mark kept improving and we were able to do it.”

With a smile, Sarvesh, who hails from a village near Nashik in Maharashtra, quipped, “He (Jithin) spoke very little to me this week. I don’t know what he was thinking.”

Sarvesh acknowledges that the support extended by his coach, his family, his employer the Indian Army, his sponsor OGQ, and the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) played a key role in his journey. “I am confident. If the training goes well and there are no injuries, then confidence will increase. If everyone’s support is there, then we can go ahead. Especially my coach, who has not taken any leave for seven months, and my family members are very supportive. That’s why I am able to do it. Otherwise, I would have been disturbed.”

Sarvesh is happy to note that Indian jumpers, including women’s National record holder Pooja Singh — who, like Sarvesh, trains at the Anju Bobby George Academy in Bengaluru — are doing well. “Yes, it did impact me mentally that Pooja broke the National mark. She set a record of 1.93m. We were thinking that we would do well. She made a National record before me. I did it after her. Dev Meena is also doing well in pole vault. He is also breaking National records. This is a good year for jumpers.” Needless to say, long jumpers Ancy Sojan, who broke Anju’s 22-year-old National record, and M. Sreeshankar and Shahnavaz Khan, who achieved his season best, are also among the Indians who have achieved world-class marks this season.

Encouraging sign

Even in men’s high jump, the presence of some good athletes, including Tejaswin, Adarsh Ram, and Basant, is an encouraging sign. “A pool of jumpers should be there — only then can there be improvement. Otherwise, Sarvesh will be alone. Whoever achieves something first, his name remains up there,” said Jithin.

After breaching the 2.30m peak in June, Sarvesh became the first Indian high jumper to earn a podium, by finishing third with a mark of 2.26m, on his Diamond League debut in Monaco on July 10. Now, Sarvesh and his coach Jithin are bubbling with confidence while eyeing higher marks and glorious medals in the upcoming Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. “I hope Sarvesh maintains his focus and patience. He will go far,” said Jithin.

Published – July 15, 2026 11:56 pm IST