World Athletics C'ships 2025: Sarvesh Kushare finishes 6th

Sarvesh Anil Kushare delivered a commendable performance for Indian athletics at the World Championships in Tokyo, finishing sixth in the men’s high jump final with a personal best of 2.28m on Tuesday night.

The 30-year-old athlete from Nashik cleared the bar on his third attempt at 2.28m, bettering his previous best of 2.27m set in 2022.

His effort came agonizingly close to the national record of 2.29m, which still belongs to Tejaswin Shankar.

Kushare attempted 2.31m but couldn’t clear it after three tries, concluding his campaign just outside the top five.

This performance comes barely two days after his historic qualification, where he cleared 2.25m to finish joint seventh in Group B. With that, he became the first Indian high jumper ever to reach a World Championships final, securing his spot among the top 13 jumpers across both groups.

In the final, Kushare showed composure: he cleared 2.20m in his first attempt, needed two tries at 2.24m, and finally nailed his third attempt at 2.28m — marking the best jump of his career. Though a medal eluded him, his gritty display placed him in elite company at the global stage.

New Zealand’s Olympic champion Hamish Kerr secured gold with a world-leading 2.36m, while Korea’s Woo Sanghyeok took silver with 2.34m. Despite the stiff competition, Kushare’s performance will be hailed as a breakthrough moment for Indian athletics.

The son of an onion farmer from a small village near Nashik, Kushare trained for years on makeshift mats before rising to the world stage. He had already shown promise with a silver medal at the 2023 Asian Championships and now adds a World Championships top-six finish to his growing resume.

With this feat, Kushare not only set a new personal benchmark but also pushed the boundaries for Indian high jump, inspiring hopes of even bigger achievements in future competitions.