Athletics
Kuldeep Kumar breaks pole vault national record at Bhubaneswar athletics meet
Madhya Pradesh athlete Kuldeep Kumar on Saturday broke the national record to win the men’s pole vault event at the Indian Indoor Open Combined Events and Pole Vault 2026 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
The 21-year-old Indian athlete cleared 5.41m to top the field, eclipsing the previous national record of 5.40m. The previous mark was set by Dev Meena at the World University Games 2025 in Germany, which he matched again in an athletics meet in Chinese Taipei earlier this year.
Reegan G, who had set the previous indoor national record of 5.30m at the same venue in March, finished second with a best of 5.25m. Dev Meena settled for third with 5.20m.
Kuldeep Kumar’s national record is subject to ratification by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI). Pics: X
This was the third meeting between Kuldeep Kumar and the 20-year-old Dev Meena this year. Meena came out on top in the first contest at the Indian Open Jumps Competition in Bengaluru in March with a 5.25m effort, where Kumar had registered the same height – his previous personal best – but lost on countback.
Kumar levelled the score in Jaipur during the second leg of the Indian Open Athletics Series last month, winning on countback after both cleared an identical height of 5.25m again.
On Saturday, Kumar also had three failed attempts at 5.46m. India’s entry standard for the Asian Games 2026 in men’s pole vault is set at 5.45m.
According to World Athletics, there’s no distinction between outdoor and indoor events for records in pole vault. However, Kuldeep Kumar’s national record is subject to ratification by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).
Earlier in the day, Kavinraja S won the Under-20 men’s pole vault with a clearance of 4.90m. R Vishal (4.70m) and Saurabh Yadav (4.20m) completed the podium.