Overview
- Kuldeep Kumar cleared 5.41 meters at Bhubaneswar’s Kalinga Stadium on Saturday in his first indoor meet, then missed three tries at 5.46.
- His mark surpassed Dev Kumar Meena’s 5.40 national record and bettered Reegan G’s 5.30 indoor best, with Reegan taking silver at 5.25 and Meena bronze at 5.20.
- Kumar and Meena train together under coach Ghanshyam Yadav at Bhopal’s DSYW Academy, a setup that has sharpened a growing home rivalry.
- The performance has refocused attention on January’s Panvel episode, when a ticket examiner ordered Kumar and Meena off a train for carrying their poles and left them on the platform for hours.
- Focus now turns to selections and the Federation Cup, as India’s top vaulters try to build on this benchmark and chase international qualifying marks.