Madhya Pradesh pole vaulter Kuldeep Kumar breaks national record at Bhubaneswar

Kuldeep Kumar representing Madhya Pradesh set a national men’s pole vault record of 5.41m to win gold on the opening day of the inaugural Indian Indoor Open Combined Events and Pole Vault Competition in Bhubaneswar. The 21-year-old cleared the height of 5.41m in his first attempt, surpassing the previous national record of 5.40m set by Dev Kumar Meena and also improving the indoor record of 5.30m set earlier in March by Reegan G of Tamil Nadu. Reegan G took silver with 5.25m, while pre-event favourite Meena finished bronze with 5.20m. The upcoming outdoor season will be more exciting. The top three pole vaulters here in Bhubaneswar will be aiming to earn a place in the national team for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Asian Games in Japan.