World Athletics Championships: India's Sarvesh Kushare finishes 6th in men's high jump final

India’s Sarvesh Kushare made history at the ongoing World Athletics Championships in Tokyo by finishing sixth in the men’s high jump final on Tuesday. The Asian Championships silver medalist had already etched his name in history on Sunday by becoming the first Indian high jumper to qualify for a World Championships final, clearing 2.25m in the qualification round to secure a spot among the top 12.In the final, Kushare produced a personal best of 2.28m on his third attempt, finishing sixth overall. The podium was topped by New Zealand’s Hamish Kerr (2.36m), followed by South Korea’s Sanghyeok Woo (2.34m) and the Czech Republic’s Jan Stefela (2.31m).

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Meanwhile, Murali Sreeshankar, the Asian Games silver medalist, bowed out in the men’s long jump qualification on Monday. The 26-year-old managed a best jump of 7.78m, with other legal attempts of 7.70m and 7.59m, finishing 14th in Group A and 25th overall.

His efforts fell short of the 8.15m qualifying mark or a top-12 finish required to advance. Returning from a knee injury that ruled him out of the Paris 2024 Olympics, Sreeshankar entered Tokyo with a flawless record of five wins in five events this season, including a season-best 8.13m at the Indian Open.

His personal best stands at 8.41m, just shy of Jeswin Aldrin’s national record of 8.42m.India’s women’s 3000m steeplechase campaign also faced setbacks.

National record-holder Parul Chaudhary clocked 9:22.24 to finish ninth in her heat and 20th overall, while Ankita Dhyani finished 11th in her heat in 10:03.22, placing 35th overall. Both athletes missed the top-five finish required to advance.In men’s 110m hurdles, national record-holder Tejas Shirse ran 13.57s, finishing sixth in his heat and 29th overall out of 42 athletes, failing to reach the semifinals.India’s medal tally at World Athletics Championships remains at three: Anju Bobby George’s long jump bronze in Paris 2003, Neeraj Chopra’s javelin silver in Oregon 2022, and gold in Budapest 2023.The Indian contingent in Tokyo 2025 features 19 athletes—14 men and five women—competing across 15 events.