Sarvesh Kushare: 5 Historic Firsts in Indian High Jump Glory

Sarvesh Kushare became the first Indian high-jumper

Sarvesh Kushare created history by becoming the first Indian high-jumper to qualify for the men’s high jump final at the World Athletics Championships 2025 held in Tokyo, Japan on September 14, 2025.

Key Points: Sarvesh Kushare

Historic Achievement:

• Sarvesh qualified for the 13-man final by clearing 2.25m on his second attempt.
• This made him the first Indian ever to reach the men’s high jump final at the world level.

Performance Highlights:

• Initial jump: Cleared 2.16m on the second attempt.
• Next: Cleared 2.21m on the second attempt.
• Final qualifying jump: 2.25m, matching top contenders.
• Achieved a personal best of 2.28m in the finals and finished joint-sixth.

Background:

• Age: 30 years
• From Nashik, Maharashtra; son of an onion farmer.
• Represented India at the Paris Olympics 2024.

Significant Upset in Qualifiers:

• Tokyo Olympics champion Gianmarco Tamberi failed to clear 2.21m and was eliminated.
• Paris Olympics gold medallist Hamish Kerr cleared 2.25m smoothly.

Key Developments & Milestones:

Pre-Independence & Post-Independence Era

• Early participation was mostly seen in the National Games and Inter-State meets.
• Indian high jumpers struggled to reach Olympic qualifying standards during the mid-20th century.

1980s–1990s: Rise of Anju Bobby George Era in Indian Athletics

• During this time, India started investing in athletics through Sports Authority of India (SAI) and National Athletics Coaching Camps.
• Though Anju Bobby George was a long jumper, her success brought attention to field events.
• High jumpers like Hari Shankar Roy began to emerge with improved performances.

2000s: National Records and Progress:

• Hari Shankar Roy:

• One of India’s most prominent high jumpers in the early 2000s.
• Set a national record of 2.25m in 2004 at the Asian All-Stars Meet in Singapore.
• This record stood for over 18 years, showing limited progress in this discipline at the elite level.

• Lack of world-class facilities and international exposure restricted Indian athletes from breaking into the global stage.

Recent Surge (2020 onwards):

• With the success of Neeraj Chopra (javelin throw) at Tokyo Olympics 2020, athletics received a major boost in funding and visibility.
• High jumpers started receiving better training camps, foreign coaches, and international competition exposure.

Sarvesh Kushare’s Historic Achievement (2025):

• Sarvesh Kushare, son of an onion farmer from Nashik, Maharashtra, made history by becoming the first Indian high jumper to qualify for the men’s high jump final at the World Athletics Championships (Tokyo, 2025).
• Cleared 2.25m in qualifiers and achieved a personal best of 2.28m in the finals, finishing joint-sixth.

This performance surpassed Hari Shankar Roy’s longstanding mark, setting a new benchmark for Indian athletics.