Sarvesh Kushare / X/ afiindia
Indian high jumper Sarvesh Kushare scripted history by becoming the first Indian high jumper to secure a top-three finish at a Diamond League meet after finishing third on his debut at the Monaco Diamond League 2026 on July 10.
The 31-year-old continued his 2026 season by clearing 2.26m at the Meeting Herculis, producing a flawless performance through his opening heights before narrowly missing out on a higher finish after failing to clear 2.28m in three attempts.
With the podium finish, Kushare became only the fourth Indian athlete to finish in the top three at a Diamond League event, joining an elite list comprising discus thrower Vikas Gowda, Olympic and world champion Neeraj Chopra, and long jumper Murali Sreeshankar.
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Competing against an elite field at the Stade Louis II in Fontvieille, Kushare cleared 2.12m, 2.16m, 2.20m, 2.23m and 2.26m on his first attempt at each height, displaying remarkable consistency in his first appearance on the prestigious Diamond League circuit.
Ukraine's Oleh Doroshchuk claimed the title with a season-best clearance of 2.32m, while Great Britain's Jack Kimani, also making his Diamond League debut, finished second after clearing 2.30m.
Kushare's performance was highlighted by the fact that he finished ahead of several decorated athletes, including joint Tokyo Olympics champion Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy, who placed seventh with 2.23m, and Qatar's Mutaz Barshim, also a joint Olympic champion, who finished eighth after clearing 2.20m.
The podium finish adds another milestone to Kushare's breakthrough campaign. Last month, he broke Tejaswin Shankar's eight-year-old national record with a jump of 2.31m at the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar.
Kushare is also part of India's 32-member athletics squad for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, where he will look to carry his outstanding form onto another major international stage.
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