KOLKATA: In January this year, pole vaulter Kuldeep Kumar and colleague Dev Kumar Meena were removed from their train and briefly detained at Puneol railway station in Maharashtra after ticket inspectors objected to them carrying their batons inside the coach, calling the contraption “steel pipes”.Kuldeep had a befitting reply on Saturday when he broke the national record by clearing 5.41m at the inaugural Indian Indoor Open combined events and pole vault competition in Bhubaneswar.Representing Madhya Pradesh, Kuldeep bettered the previous national mark of 5.40m set by Meena at the World University Games last year.“Not many people know about pole vault in this country, but I am happy that our performance will help take the sport forward,” the 21-year-old, a resident of Prayagraj, said later, hoping it would ensure no one else had to go through what the two did in Panvel.Kuldeep’s feat also surpassed Reagan Ganesh’s indoor best of 5.30m, achieved during the first National Indoor Athletics Championship held in Bhubaneswar in March. On Saturday, the Tamil Nadu vaulter finished second with a jump of 5.25m, while Meena endured a dominant outing to finish third with a best jump of 5.20m.“Dev had a minor setback today, but we are both now looking forward to doing even better in the Federation Cup and qualifying for bigger events in the coming months,” added Kuldeep.Kuldeep and Meena, along with Meena, are training under coach Ghanshyam Yadav at the DSYW Academy in Bhopal.
His record is a testament to Kuldeep’s consistency throughout the season. He cleared 5.25m earlier this year at both the Indian Open Athletics Series and the Indian Open Jumps Competition. On Saturday, he also attempted 5.46m, but missed all three attempts at the height.“I was confident of setting a personal best. We prepared extensively and pushed each other constantly, so it felt good to get the national record,” said Kuldeep.Hailing from a sporting family with three brothers involved in athletics — two of whom are pole vaulters — Kuldeep said the choice of discipline came naturally. Interestingly, Saturday marked his first indoor competition, an experience he thoroughly enjoyed. “It was a new experience and we were excited to compete,” he said. I am very happy to get the national record here.Results: Pole Vault: Men: Kuldeep Kumar (Madhya Pradesh) 5.41m NR, Ragan Ganesh (Tamil Nadu) 5.25m, Dev Kumar Meena (Madhya Pradesh) 5.20m; Men U-20: Kavan Raja S (Tamil Nadu) 4.90m, R Vishal (Tamil Nadu) 4.70m, Saurabh Yadav (Uttar Pradesh) 4.20m.Medal Photo Caption: (From right) Regan Ganesh, Kuldeep Kumar and Dev Kumar Meena in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.
