RANCHI: “I texted Dev Meena on WhatsApp that he would cross the 5.45m mark,” says pole vault coach Ghanshyam even as he was trying to soak in what he just witnessed.
On a moderately humid Sunday evening at the Birsa Munda Football Stadium, both of Ghanshyam’s wards Dev and Kuldeep Kumar lowered national records in the men’s pole vault final at the National Senior Athletics Federation competition. They ended with the same mark of 5.45m, breaching the qualification mark for the Commonwealth Games comfortably. The decision over their selection lies with the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).
While Kumar may retain the title as national record holder, it was a redemption of sorts for Dev. Having held the national record over a significant period of time (5.32m in Feb 2025 to 5.40m in July 2025), he lost the record to Kuldeep when the latter surpassed him at the Asian Indoor championship in Bhubaneswar with a mark of 5.41m.
In addition to that, Dev had faced his share of issues off the field, indicating the struggles faced by athletes. For last year’s Federation Cup in Kochi, Dev travelled by flight but without his equipment as airlines did not allow it. Instead, Ghanshyam, the coach, decided to bring the equipment on a train. That issue got attention and was a subject of debate.
It continued earlier this year. After taking part in the All-India University meet in Mangalore, Dev and other pole vaulters were stranded in Mumbai due to an issue with the railway officials over carrying the equipment that was made out of fibre-glass. While bringing the equipment down on the platform switch to the train towards Bhopal, Dev and other athletes were told that they cannot take the equipment, despite an order from the Madhya Pradesh government. He was seen pleading to the officials at the time.
Events like these could dent an athlete’s confidence. While that further brought more criticism on the way the athletes are treated, hope for change was little. But a record performance like Sunday’s – which a crowd at the gallery closer to the pole vault pit thoroughly enjoyed – may change the perception of pole vault in India.
Dev, in his humble tone, said that there is a lot more to be done. “A little bit, yes. But we have to do more to change that perception. Till the time Neeraj Chopra won Olympic gold in 2021, not many knew about the sport. Now the whole world knows it. His javelins face no problems. But we still may suffer. It is performances like these that might help us in our cause," he said. Putting on a strong show in a global event like the CWG might be the start of Dev’s journey towards that day.
Sreeshankar breaches CWG mark
Meanwhile, at the long jump pit, M Sreeshankar finished first with a mark of 8.08m, breaching the Commonwealth Games qualification mark (8.05m). His fifth jump, measured at 8.21 metres, is under scrutiny.
His progression since recovering from injury has been nothing short of incredible. Earlier, he had revealed how trips to South Africa, where he worked on his approach, has made him a better jumper. It was there to see on Sunday, as he began with 7.81m. Then, he went up to 7.98m in the second attempt, before leaping 8.08m in the third. While he dipped a little in the fourth attempt (7.93m), his fifth attempt, had it not been a foul, would be standing at 8.21m.
Meanwhile, comeback man and current national record holder Jeswin Aldrin finished sixth with a mark of 7.73m. Adjacent to the pits, High jumper Sarvesh Kushare matched the meet record of Tejaswin Shankar, set in 2018 (2.28m). His attempts of breaching it, however, went in vain. He also made the cut for the CWG.
