Indian Athletics Sees Historic Day with Two National Records Broken

Indian athletics witnessed a historic day at the National Inter-State Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar as two long-standing national records were broken. Sarvesh Kushare set a new men's high jump national record after clearing 2.31m at the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Friday. The Maharashtra athlete also became the first Indian high jumper to officially clear the 2.30m mark. The 31-year-old went past the previous national record of 2.29m set by Tejaswin Shankar on April 27, 2018, in Lubbock. His jump also broke the meet record of 2.25m, which had been set by B Chethan at the 2018 National Inter-State Championships in Guwahati. Kushare had already crossed the Asian Games qualification mark of 2.19m. He cleared 2.31m on his third attempt to create the new national record. After that, he made two attempts at 2.35m but was unable to clear the height. Tamil Nadu's Aadarsh Ram finished second after clearing 2.25m. His effort also bettered the previous meet record and took him past the Asian Games qualification mark. Karnataka's Jesse Sandesh claimed third place with a jump of 2.19m, matching the qualification mark. The performance adds another achievement to Kushare's career. He represented India at the Paris Olympics and has remained one of the country's regular performers in the high jump at both domestic and international competitions. His latest effort of 2.31m gives India a new national benchmark in the event ahead of a busy season that includes the Asian Games. Kushare had also made history at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. He became the first Indian male high jumper to qualify for the final of the World Championships. He finished sixth with a then personal best of 2.28m, which remains the best finish by an Indian male high jumper in the history of the World Championships. Meanwhile, Kerala's Ancy Sojan produced a stunning performance in the women's long jump, surpassing a record that had stood for more than two decades and was held by one of India's greatest athletes, Anju Bobby George. The 25-year-old Ancy leapt 6.88 metres to set a new national record, bettering Anju Bobby George's previous mark of 6.83 metres, which was achieved during the 2004 Athens Olympics season. Her achievement marks a significant milestone in Indian athletics and signals the arrival of a new benchmark in the event. Ancy's record-breaking effort was the highlight of the day at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, where the National Inter-State Championships are being held from June 24 to 28. The Kerala athlete's jump ended Anju Bobby George's 22-year reign as the national record holder in women's long jump.