Kuldeep Kumar Sets National Record in Men’s Pole Vault at Indoor Meet in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: A new national record headline marked the opening day of the inaugural Indian Indoor Open Combined Events and Pole Vault Competition, as Kuldeep Kumar delivered a standout performance to clinch gold in the men’s pole vault event.

Representing Madhya Pradesh, the 21-year-old cleared 5.41 metres on his first attempt, surpassing the previous national record of 5.40m held by Dev Kumar Meena. In doing so, Kuldeep also improved the national indoor record of 5.30m set earlier this year by Reegan G.

“It was a good day for me,” Kuldeep said after his record-breaking effort, which came during his first-ever indoor competition. Despite missing all three attempts at 5.46m, his performance secured him the top spot on the podium and set the tone for the upcoming outdoor season.

The competition witnessed a close contest among Kuldeep, Dev Kumar Meena and Reegan G. While Kuldeep gained momentum after clearing 5.35m in his second attempt, Reegan settled for silver with a best of 5.25m after failing to clear 5.35m. Pre-event favourite Dev Kumar Meena, despite being in strong form this season, finished with bronze at 5.20m.

Meena, who had equalled his own national record earlier this year in Taiwan, acknowledged the achievement. “It wasn’t my day, but it’s always good to aim for new goals,” he said, welcoming the new benchmark.

The event, held at the indoor stadium in Bhubaneswar, also featured strong participation in the heptathlon. Thowfeeq N of NCOE Trivandrum led the standings on Day One with 2,943 points, closely followed by Odisha’s Jashbir Nayak with 2,927 points.

Day One of the heptathlon included events such as 60m sprint, long jump, shot put and high jump, with the remaining events—60m hurdles, pole vault and 1000m—scheduled for Day Two.

In the men’s U20 pole vault category, Kavinraja S from Tamil Nadu claimed gold with a jump of 4.90m, followed by R Vishal (4.70m) and Saurabh Yadav (4.20m).

With top performers now eyeing qualification for major international events such as the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, the competition has set the stage for an exciting athletics season ahead.