Monaco, Jul 10 (PTI): National record holder high jumper Sarvesh Kushare finished third in his Diamond League debut in Monaco as he joined an exclusive four-member club of Indians to have achieved the feat of a top-three finish in the prestigious event.
The 31-year-old Kushare cleared 2.12m, 2.16m, 2.20m, 2.23m and 2.26m in his first try. But he failed to clear 2.28m in three attempts to take the third spot in the star-studded field.
With his stunning show, Kushare, who set the national record of 2.31m in the National Inter-State Championships last month, became the only fourth Indian to finish in top-three of a Diamond League after javelin throw superstar Neeraj Chopra, long jumper Murali Sreeshankar and former discus thrower Vikas Gowda.
World leader and world indoor champion Oleh Doroshchuk of Ukraine won the title after clearing 2.32m, while Great Britain’s Jack Kimani was second with 2.30m. Kimani could not clear 2.32m in three attempts while Doroshchuk did it in his first try.
Kimani was, however, lucky as he could only sail over the 2.16m height in his third attempt while Kushare cleared it with ease.
In the process of finishing third, Kushare beat some big stars such as three-time world champion and Tokyo Olympics gold winner Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar, who finished joint eighth with 2.20m effort, 2023 World Championships silver winner JuVaughn Harrison of the USA, who finished joint fourth, and Tokyo Olympics gold winner Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy.
However, Tamberi, who finished joint sixth with 2.23m, has been struggling of late.
On June 27, Kushare broke Tejaswin Shankar’s eight-year-old national record of 2.29m with an effort of 2.31m. He became the first Indian high jumper to clear 2.30m.
Before Friday, Kushare was joint fourth in the global season best jumps and number one among Asian athletes.
He also became the first Indian to qualify for the men’s high jump final at the World Championships in Tokyo last year. PTI PDS PDS UNG
(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)
