2 min readMay 2, 2026 08:54 PM ISTKuldeep Kumar of Madhya Pradesh broke the national record in men's pole vault with 5.41m mark in Bhubaneswar. (Credit: AFI)Indian pole vaulter rewrote the men’s national record on Saturday after recording 5.41m mark at the inaugural Indian Indoor Open Combined Events and Pole Vault Competition in Bhubaneswar.He cleared the mark of 5.41m in his first attempt and decided to go for 5.46m but failed to cross that mark. He broke the national recod of 5.40m set last year by Dev Kumar Meena and also improved the national indoor record of 5.30m set earlier in March by Reegan G of Tamil Nadu.This was first time that Kuldeep has participated in an indoor Pole Vault competition.“It was a good day for me. It was a good experience today,” said Kuldeep Kumar after making the national record.Dev, the former record holder and one of the best pole vaulters in the country, struggled to get his rhythm going and settled for a bronze medal this time with a mark of 5.20m. He tried thrice at the 5.35m but failed. Meanwhile, former Indoor NR holder, Reegan G finished at the second place with the best mark of 5.25m.The pre-event favourite and former national record holder Dev Kumar Meena says it wasn’t his day. But was excited that the bar was raised to 5.41m. “It is always good to aim for new goals,” says Dev Kumar Meena of the national record set by Kuldeep Kumar.Both Dev Kumar Meena and Kuldeep Kumar practice at the same venue in Madhya Pradesh and have been training together for more than two years. Dev equalled his national record earlier this year in Taiwan, when he jumped 5.40m at Sun Moon Lake International Pole Vault Competition in March and he created the previous national record at World University Games last year.Story continues below this adResults: Men: Pole vault: Kuldeep Kumar (Madhya Pradesh) 5.41m (NR), Reegan G (Tamil Nadu) 5.25m, Dev Kumar Meena (Madhya Pradesh) 5.20m.Men: U20: Pole vault: Kavinraja S (Tamil Nadu) 4.90m, R Vishal (Tamil Nadu) 4.70m, Saurabh Yadav (Uttar Pradesh) 4.20m. © The Indian Express Pvt LtdAdvertisementLoading Recommendations...May 02: Latest News01Thomas Cup: Lakshya Sen, Satwik-Chirag overcome doubts and disappointments, take matters into their own hands to put India on road to victory02Thomas Cup: How Ayush Shetty came of age on the big stage, taking India to the semifinals with a display of maturity and composure03Imprisoned Iranian Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi transferred to hospital04Russian Athletics Federation announces India tie-up, AFI says no MoU signed05Slow-healing wounds, hair loss, and cold toes: When to see a doctor for potential heart issuesAdvertisementLive BlogCSK vs MI IPL 2026 LIVE Score: Noor snares Tilak, Mumbai (120/4) vs Chennai at Chepauk1 minute agoMaharashtra MSBSHSE HSC 12th Result 2026 LIVE Updates: Results out, scorecard link active at hscresult.mkcl.org9 minutes agoIran-US War Ceasefire Live Updates: Tehran must urgently free Nobel laureate Mohammadi to get medical help, says Nobel body24 minutes agoAssembly Elections 2026 Live Updates: West Bengal repolling sees 86.9% voter turnout till 5 PM27 minutes agoBseodisha.ac.in, BSE Odisha Class 10th Result 2026 LIVE Updates: Results out, direct link active at results.odisha.gov.in29 minutes ago