Sarvesh Kushare makes history, becomes first India high jumper to qualify for final at World Athletics Championships

Tokyo [Japan], September 14 (ANI): Sarvesh Kushare etched his name in history at the ongoing World Athletics Championships in Tokyo after becoming the first Indian high jumper to qualify for the final in the world meet on Sunday.

Kushare earned a place in the 13-player final by sailing over the 2.25m mark to finish in the top 12 of the men high jump qualification round. While Kushare stormed into his maiden final, Tokyo champion Gianmarco Tamberi finished outside the qualification zone. The Italian best attempt remained 2.16m after his three attempts, falling short of the 2.21m mark.

Kushare will be keen on adding another medal to India medal haul at the World Championships. India holds three medals, consisting of Anju Bobby George bronze in the long jump at Paris 2003, Neeraj Chopra silver in the javelin at Oregon 2022, and his historic gold at Budapest 2023.

India campaign at the World Athletics Championships kickstarted on Saturday in the 35 km race walk event, with Priyanka Goswami registering a 24th-place finish in the women event. Meanwhile, Sandeep Kumar finished 23rd in the men event.

Ram Baboo, however, faced disqualification. The World Championships are being held in Tokyo from Thursday and will run till September 21. This is the 20th edition of the competition. The Indian contingent features a total of 19 players, including 14 men and five women players, who will be vying for medals in 15 different events, 11 for men and four for women.

The current javelin throw world champion, Neeraj Chopra, who became the first-ever Indian to land a gold at the world meet, is the headliner in the team, alongside long jump star Murali Sreeshankar, women javelin national record-holder Annu Rani and rising star Animesh Kujur, who is set to become the first Indian sprinter to compete at the World Championships.

Also, triple jumper Praveen Chitravel, 3000m steeplechase runner Parul Chaudhary and Abdulla Aboobacker are among the other key names in the squad. Gulveer Singh and Pooja will be doubling up in two events each as well.

Heading into the meet, Indian athletes have won three World Championship medals: Anju Bobby George long jump bronze at Paris 2003, Neeraj Chopra javelin silver at Oregon 2022 and his monumental gold at Budapest 2023. Over 2,000 athletes across 200 nations are aiming for a medal at the championships, with a massive 147 medals on the line in 49 different events. (ANI)

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