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Indian pole vaulter Dev Kumar Meena celebrates after creating a national record with a 5.50m jump at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026. (Images: X)
Nagoya-Aichi (Japan): Indian pole vaulter Dev Kumar Meena scripted history at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya after setting a new national record in the men’s pole vault final with a stunning 5.50-metre clearance. The 22-year-old athlete surpassed his previous personal best of 5.46 metres by clearing the height on his second attempt, becoming the highest-clearing Indian pole vaulter in the history of the event.
Despite his record-breaking performance, Meena finished seventh in a highly competitive 12-athlete final and missed out on a podium finish.
Meena began his final campaign by passing on the 5.05-metre mark before successfully clearing 5.20 metres on his second attempt. He then cleared 5.35 metres on his first attempt before producing his biggest moment of the competition — a 5.50-metre jump that rewrote the Indian national record. The young athlete attempted to clear 5.60 metres, but could not succeed in his three attempts at the height.
Meena’s achievement comes at a crucial stage in his international career as he has only recently started competing regularly at the highest level. His record performance has highlighted the growing strength of Indian athletics, especially in field events where the country has been making steady progress.
Another Indian competitor, Kuldeep Kumar finished tenth in the event after clearing 5.35 metres on her third attempt.
India’s athletics campaign received another major boost as long-distance runner Gulveer Singh added a third medal to his collection at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Gulveer won bronze in the men’s 5000 metres event after clocking 13:32.75. He had earlier secured silver medals in the men’s 1500m and 10,000m events, making him only the second Indian track and field athlete to win three medals in a single Asian Games edition. Bahrain’s Birhanu Balew won gold with a timing of 13:30.79, while Japan’s Tomonori Yamaguchi claimed silver after finishing in 13:31.43.
India concluded its athletics events with a bronze medal in the men’s 4x400m relay. Although the team could not defend the gold medal won at the Hangzhou Asian Games, India still produced several memorable performances in Aichi-Nagoya.
The biggest celebration came from the women’s 4x400m relay team, which clinched gold and delivered India’s only athletics title at the Games.
The record-breaking performances by Dev Kumar Meena and Gulveer Singh added to India’s impressive athletics campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. India has so far secured 48 medals at the Games, including five gold, 21 silver and 22 bronze medals, with athletics contributing 19 medals to the overall tally.
India’s women’s 4x400m relay team delivered a memorable performance by winning the gold medal after a thrilling race. The quartet of Kiran, M.R. Poovamma, Prachi and Vithya Ramraj clocked 3:29.69 to finish on top of the podium. The race saw India overcome an early setback before producing a strong comeback. Kiran had a slow opening leg and handed over the baton while India was placed third. However, Poovamma quickly changed the momentum, making up valuable ground and pushing the team into the lead.
Prachi maintained India’s advantage in the third leg, ensuring that the baton reached final runner Vithya in a strong position.
