Overview
- Dev Kumar Meena cleared 5.50m in the men’s pole vault final at the Asian Games on Tuesday to raise the Indian national record from 5.46m.
- Meena missed three attempts at 5.60m and finished seventh in the 12-athlete final at Mizuho Park in Nagoya.
- Kuldeep Kumar, India’s other finalist, cleared 5.35m and placed 10th, continuing the season-long rivalry between the two Madhya Pradesh vaulters.
- Meena opened by passing 5.05m, then cleared 5.20m and 5.35m before producing the record jump on his second attempt, showing marked improvement on the continental stage.
- The national record shifted repeatedly during 2026 as both vaulters pushed each other and the new mark boosts India’s visibility in Asian pole vaulting ahead of future international meets.