On a hot Sunday evening in Tokyo, Sarvesh Kushare made Indian athletics history. With a smooth take-off and a perfect clearance at 2.25m on his second attempt, the 25-year-old from Maharashtra became the first Indian high jumper to qualify for the men's high jump final at the World Athletics Championships.
For Kushare, this moment was more than just a statistic, it was redemption. Competing in his second World Championships, he had debuted in Budapest in 2023 but failed to make the cut, finishing 20th overall.
This time, he turned that heartbreak into history. "I feel really good. I always believed in myself that I would reach the final of the World Championships," Kushare told NNIS Sports after his qualification. "I couldn't perform well in many
competitions this year, but today I've entered the final for the first time, and now I'm hopeful of doing well in the final. "
Kushare's journey to this stage has been one of quiet consistency. His lifetime best stands at 2.27m, achieved in 2022, and he has twice cleared his season-best of 2.26m this year. Those jumps hinted that a big performance was brewing and Tokyo became the stage where he delivered.
He is India's second-best high jumper, a silver medallist at the 2023 Asian Championships, and finished a heartbreaking fourth at the Asian Games last year. His Tokyo qualification now places him among the elite 13 finalists who will battle for the podium. .
With the men's high jump final set for September 16, the focus will shift to whether Kushare can go beyond 2.27m and challenge the world's best. But for now, he stands as a symbol of perseverance proving that belief, hard work, and the courage to rise after a setback can lead to history-making moments.
India will be watching closely as Sarvesh Kushare takes the biggest leap of his career.
