New Delhi: Sarvesh Kushare went through anxious moments when he twice failed to clear 2.25m. Until then, the high jump national record holder had smoothly cleared every height on first attempt. But with the competition approaching the business end with a medal on the line, Kushare could feel the nerves, with the heart racing.
Event Context
Kushare’s success at a major competition has come after years of grind. The 31-year-old has been painstakingly striving for this breakthrough, adding centimetres to the bar. In the last one year, he has been reaping the rewards of his hard work, and everything is coming together. This includes making it to the final at last year’s World Championships in Tokyo, where he ended a creditable sixth (2.28m). Reaching the final was a first for an Indian high jumper. A third-place finish at the Monaco Diamond League meet (2.26m), where the world’s top athletes compete on invitation, was another first in the build-up to CWG.
“Major tournaments like CWG come once in four years, and I am happy to have finally won a medal at a major event. It will push me to do better at the Asian Games and prepare for the Olympics,” said Kushare.
“I was clearing every jump on the first chance, but at 2.25m my rhythm was a bit disturbed. My stride length got shorter. The conditions were slightly cold and keeping my body warm was a bit difficult, but I managed it on the final attempt. It was a good experience,” Kushare told PTI in Glasgow.
The target that really pushed Kushare towards bigger laurels was the eight-year-old national record of Tejaswin Shankar, which he finally surpassed at the Inter-State Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar in June.
Jithin, a former high jumper and National Games medallist, has been a major influence. He has been training Kushare at ASI Pune since 2022. “It’s been a long journey to come so far. We have gone through so many ups and downs, and Sarvesh has fought with his chin up,” Jithin told HT from Spala, Poland, where he was with Kushare in the national camp before his protege left for Glasgow.
Player Focus
When Kushare cleared 2.31m, it was not just a number but a barrier (2.29m) that he had been chasing for seven years. Kushare has been dominating domestic meets since 2019 and in more than 10 tournaments, after sealing a podium finish, he would stand in front of his goal (2.29m). Sometimes he thought he did everything right only for the slightest grazing of the bar bringing it down. It would be a moment of disappointment before he summoned his resolve back.
“Koi nahi, phir karenge (No issue, we’ll try again),” Kushare would tell his coach Jithin C Thomas of the Army Sports Institute, and move on to take another attempt at breaking the national record.
“With his height (1.79m or 5’10”) and body weight, clearing 2.27m or 2.28m was impressive, but to go beyond that he has to be outstanding, and do it repeatedly. It requires more effort. You have to have patience and ensure there is no injury,” said Jithin.
“We kept trying and worked towards healthy progress. Sarvesh is so dedicated and disciplined in his work ethic and is extremely positive.”
Team Analysis
He calmed himself down to surmount the bar and his jittery heart on his third and last attempt. It eventually secured a silver medal for Kushare, marking the second time an Indian male high jumper was on podium at the Commonwealth Games. Tejaswin Shankar had won bronze at 2022 Birmingham.
Jamaican Romaine Beckford also cleared 2.25m, but on his first attempt which won him gold on countback. England’s Kimani Jack took the bronze (2.20m). Both Kushare and Beckford raised the bar to 2.28m but failed to clear it.
In Glasgow, when Kushare was fighting self-doubt and struggling to keep himself warm in slightly cold conditions, he was encouraged by Tejaswin. Unfortunately, Tejaswin pulled out after one attempt – failed at 2.05m – due to a last-minute flare-up of an issue with his patellar tendon. The 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist still took an attempt, but felt pain in his knee and withdrew. However, he interacted with Kushare and egged him on from the sidelines.
Match Outlook
Kushare’s progression has been slow but steady. In 2019, he cleared 2.26m for the first time, and touched 2.27m at the 2022 National Games. Over the next few years, he stayed steady, qualifying for the Paris Olympics, and kept at it.
“When an athlete reaches his peak, sometimes stagnancy comes because he has to work harder from that level. We worked on strength and conditioning so that he could take more load. We fine-tuned his technique, run-up — all these things add to the performance,” said Jithin.
It will be tough for Tejaswin to recover quickly and get ready for decathlon in two days.
