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Two months after setting a national record at the Dehradun National Games, 19-year-old Madhya Pradesh athlete, Dev Meena raised the bar once again, clearing 5.35 meters at the 28th National Federation Athletics Championships, held on Tuesday, April 22 at the Maharaja's College Stadium, Kochi. This marked his second national record-breaking feat in recent months. He had previously set a record by clearing 5.32 meters at the 38th National Games in February. Although he narrowly missed the Asian Championships qualifying standard of 5.51 meters, Meena remains optimistic about the upcoming season.
“I wanted to raise the bar, but there was light drizzle, and I didn’t continue on the advice of my coach. It was not gripping and could have led to injury,” said Meena. “I am looking forward to the World University Games and want to qualify for the Asian Games next year,” he further added. Meanwhile, athletes from Tamil Nadu, M. Gowtham (5.15m) and G. Reegan (5.10m) won silver and bronze respectively. Former national record holder S Siva from Tamil Nadu finished fourth with an effort of 5.05m.
Switch from sprint to pole vaulting, Dev Meena is an emerging star representing India
Just over three years ago, Meena made the switch from sprinting to pole vaulting, and since then, the young athlete has made remarkable progress. Initially, he had never considered taking up pole vault, but it was coach Ghanshyam Yadav who persuaded him to give it a try. Hailing from Kheda in Madhya Pradesh's Dewas district, Meena has been training in Bhopal. He benefits from the support and facilities provided by the Pole Vault Academy, run by the Madhya Pradesh State Sports Department, which enables him to train and compete at a high level.
“I was searching for talents when I saw Dev in a competition. I asked him whether he would like to do pole vault but he was not ready. He told me the equipment would be costly and his family would not be able to afford it,” Ghansyam said.
Dev has been practicing hard at the Tantya Tope Academy in Bhopal. The academy currently has around 10 pole vaulters training under its wing. Among them, Dev has emerged as a standout performer, having clinched the National Games title twice. He's also begun to make his presence felt on the international stage. Last year, he secured a bronze medal at the Asian Junior Athletics Championships (U-20) in Dubai with a 5.10m jump and represented India at the 2024 World U20 Championships in Lima.
