Sarvesh Kushare dazzles in Monaco, earns podium on Diamond League debut

Indian high jumper Sarvesh Kushare delivered a memorable performance on his Diamond League debut in Monaco, finishing third at the prestigious athletic event.

The high jumper from Maharashtra recently broke the national athletics record after clearing 2.31m at the National Inter-State Championships in Bhubaneswar, eclipsing Tejaswin Shankar's eight-year-old record of 2.29m.

After becoming the first Indian to break the 2.29m barrier, Kushare continued to make waves in the international athletic circuit with his perseverance and grit in Monaco.

Kushare delivers podium finish at maiden DL outing

At the men's high jump event in the Monaco Diamond League, Kushare cleared 2.12m, 2.16m, 2.20m, 2.023m and 2.26m on his first try. The national record holder displayed consistency throughout the competition against some of the world's best high jumpers.

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The 31-year-old, however, failed to clear 2.28m in all three attempts and had to settle for the number three spot, and his resilience helped him seal a podium finish in the star-studded field. Ukraine's Oleh Doroshchuk finished at the top with a successful 2.32m jump.

Kushare joins elite list of athletes

Kushare became the fourth Indian to finish in the top three of a Diamond League meeting after two-time Olympic medalist Neeraj Chopra, long jumper Murali Sreeshankar and former discus thrower Vikas Gowda.

Notably, he had entered the Diamond League meeting as the joint No. 4 ranked high jumper and the Asian season leader following his Bhubaneswar heroics.

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After producing a historic performance at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco, Kushare's next big outing would be to deliver his finest outing at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.

Given that he is coming off a historic performance, all eyes will be on Kushare to deliver and strengthen his position as a leading contender in the international high jump circuit.

(With Agency Inputs)