Sarvesh Kushare: Leaping to new heights

As the Paris Olympics approaches, all eyes will be on India’s rising star in the men’s high jump, Sarvesh Anil Kushare.

Hailing from a small village with minimal resources, Kushare’s meteoric rise and well-deserved call-up to the upcoming Paris Olympics is nothing short of a fairytale.

Born on June 17, 1995, in Deogaon, a small village 70 km from Nashik, Maharashtra, Sarvesh was introduced to high jump and trained from a very young age by his high school trainer RW Jadhav.

Training on makeshift landing pits stuffed with cattle feed and agricultural waste, his relentless determination was the driving force during his early days.

When I used to try to land on a pit made of agricultural waste back in my village, it was a big challenge. It was risky, but I just trusted my coach, RW Jadhav, and went into my jumps blindly. To be honest, that sort of training helps me now to minimize error," Sarvesh told The Bridge in an earlier interview.

At approximately 180 cm, he is one of the shortest competitors in high jump competitions, but he remains undeterred by these challenges. Kushare’s career has been marked by significant milestones.

Under Jadhav’s constant guidance, Sarvesh managed to clear 2.17m at a very young age, which helped him secure a job in the army.

This marked a significant milestone in his career, and there was no turning back.

Rising through the ranks

In 2018, at the age of 22, Sarvesh managed to create a new meet record with a jump of 2.24m, bagging his maiden high jump gold at the elite level in the National Open Athletics Championships held in Odisha.

In October 2019, he won a gold medal by jumping 2.26m at the Indian Open Championships in Ranchi and made his international debut at the South Asian Championships. Sarvesh went on to improve his personal best performances every year. While his personal best jump was 2.17m in 2017, by 2019 it had increased to an impressive 2.26m. The meteoric rise of Sarvesh was hindered by the Covid-19 pandemic, but he fought back with a massive leap at the 2022 Indian National Championship in Gujarat, where he managed to achieve his personal best of 2.27m.

Despite this success, Sarvesh continued to push his limits. Instead of going for 2.29m in his next jump, he aimed for the national record with 2.30m. He came very close on the third attempt, but his trailing leg crashed into the bar, denying him the much-deserved national record of 2.29m held by Tejaswin Shankar.

Paris Olympics: The ultimate dream

His successes in 2023 include winning a silver medal with a jump of 2.26m at the Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok, which helped him secure a berth for the World Championships. Later that year, he represented India at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, finishing 11th in the qualification round of Group B and 20th overall among 33 jumpers, clearing 2.26m in his second attempt but failing to clear 2.29m.

As the icing on the cake, Sarvesh clinched the gold medal at the National Interstate Athletics Championship with an extraordinary jump of 2.25m. This performance secured his ticket to the Paris Olympics, as he ranked 23rd in the qualification process.

His story, marked by humble beginnings and remarkable achievements, embodies the essence of hard work and perseverance.

As he prepares to compete against the best in the world, a medal may be a distant hope for Sarvesh, but he is determined to make his country proud.