KOLKATA: In January this year, pole-vaulter Kuldeep Kumar and teammate Dev Kumar Meena were removed from their train and briefly detained at Maharashtra’s Panvel railway station after ticket examiners objected to them carrying their poles inside the coach, referring to the equipment as “steel pipes”.On Saturday, Kuldeep had a fitting reply when he broke the national record by clearing 5.41m at the inaugural Indian Indoor Open Combined Events and Pole Vault Competition in Bhubaneswar.Representing Madhya Pradesh, Kuldeep bettered the previous national mark of 5.40m, set by Meena at the World University Games last year.“Not many people know about pole vault in this country, but I’m happy that our performances will help take the sport forward,” the 21-year-old, a resident of Prayagraj, said afterwards, hoping that it will ensure that no one else has to go through what the duo did in Panvel.Kuldeep’s feat also took him past Reegan Ganesh’s indoor best of 5.30m, achieved during the maiden national indoor athletics championships held in Bhubaneswar in March. On Saturday, the Tamil Nadu vaulter finished second with a jump of 5.25m, while Meena endured a subdued outing for a third-place finish with a best of 5.20m.“Dev faced a minor setback today, but both of us are now looking forward to doing even better at Federation Cup and qualifying for major events in the coming months,” added Kuldeep.Kuldeep and Meena train together alongside Meena under coach Ghanshyam Yadav at Bhopal’s DSYW Academy.
His record is testimony to Kuldeep’s consistency all season. He achieved 5.25m at both the Indian Open Athletics Series and the Indian Open Jumps Competition earlier this year. On Saturday, he also attempted 5.46m, but missed all three efforts at the height.“I was confident of setting a personal best. We prepared extensively and constantly push each other, so it was nice to achieve the national record,” Kuldeep said.Coming from a sporting family with three brothers involved in athletics — two of them pole vaulters — Kuldeep said the choice of discipline came naturally. Interestingly, Saturday marked his first indoor competition, an experience he thoroughly enjoyed. “It was a new experience and we were excited to compete. I’m very happy to achieve the national record here,” he said.Results: Pole vault: Men: Kuldeep Kumar (Madhya Pradesh) 5.41m NR, Reegan Ganesh (Tamil Nadu) 5.25m, Dev Kumar Meena (Madhya Pradesh) 5.20m; Men U20: Kavinraja S (Tamil Nadu) 4.90m, R Vishal (Tamil Nadu) 4.70m, Saurabh Yadav (Uttar Pradesh) 4.20m.Caption of medal pic: (From right) Reegan Ganesh, Kuldeep Kumar and Dev Kumar Meena in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.