Sarvesh Kushare's sensational Diamond League debut sees him snatch podium in men's high jump

Sarvesh Kushare announced himself on the Diamond League stage with a historic podium finish in Monaco, clearing 2.26m to finish third in the men's high jump. The Indian national record holder became only the fourth Indian athlete to finish in the top three at a Diamond League meet.

In Short

• Sarvesh Kushare finished third on his Diamond League debut in Monaco
• Kushare cleared 2.26m with a flawless run until his final height
• He became only the fourth Indian to finish on a Diamond League podium

Indian high jumper Sarvesh Kushare marked his Diamond League debut in historic fashion, finishing third at the Monaco Diamond League on Friday to become only the fourth Indian athlete to finish on the podium at a Diamond League meeting.

The 31-year-old national record holder cleared 2.26m to clinch third place in a world-class field, producing a flawless series until his final height. Kushare sailed over 2.12m, 2.16m, 2.20m, 2.23m and 2.26m, clearing every bar on his first attempt before falling short at 2.28m.

The podium finish capped a remarkable rise for the Maharashtra athlete, who only weeks ago rewrote Indian athletics history by clearing 2.31m at the National Inter-State Championships in Bhubaneswar. That jump broke Tejaswin Shankar's eight-year-old national record of 2.29m and made Kushare the first Indian to clear the 2.30m barrier.

Competing against some of the biggest names in world high jump, Kushare showed little sign of nerves on his Diamond League debut. The Indian looked assured throughout the competition, matching the consistency of the world's best before narrowly missing out on a higher finish after failing all three attempts at 2.28m.

The result makes Kushare only the fourth Indian to secure a top-three finish at a Diamond League meet, joining an elite list featuring Neeraj Chopra, Vikas Gowda and Murali Sreeshankar.

MONACO DIAMOND LEAGUE RESULT

The performance also underlined the form that has propelled Kushare into the world's top ranks this season. Entering Monaco, the Indian was ranked joint fourth in the world and sat atop the Asian season leaderboard following his record-breaking jump in Bhubaneswar.

Speaking after setting the national record earlier this month, Kushare had said he wanted to test himself regularly against the world's best.

"2.31m is a mark that can help me reach the podium on the global stage," Kushare had said.

"I don't want this mark to stand for long. I want to compete in more competitions and rub shoulders with the best in the world."

He did exactly that in Monaco.

With the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya still to come later this year, Kushare's historic Diamond League debut offers another indication that the Indian high jumper is emerging as a genuine contender on the global stage.

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