Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], May 2 (ANI): Indian athlete Kuldeep Kumar set a new national record to win the men's pole vault event at the Indian Indoor Open Combined Events and Pole Vault 2026 held at the Kalinga Stadium, in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.

The 21-year-old cleared 5.41m, surpassing the previous national record of 5.40m, according to Olympics.com.

The earlier record had been set by Dev Meena at the World University Games 2025 in Germany, and he equalled that mark again at an athletics meet in Chinese Taipei earlier this year. Reegan G, who had established the previous indoor national record of 5.30m at the same venue in March, secured second place with a best effort of 5.25m, while Dev Meena finished third with 5.20m.

According to World Athletics, pole vault records do not differentiate between indoor and outdoor performances. However, Kuldeep Kumar's national record still awaits official ratification from the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).

This event also marked the third time this year that Kuldeep Kumar and the 20-year-old Dev Meena have faced each other.

Dev Meena had taken the first encounter earlier this year, winning the Indian Open Jumps Competition in Bengaluru in March with a 5.25m clearance. Kuldeep Kumar managed the same height--then his personal best--but lost on countback.

Kumar bounced back in their second meeting at the Indian Open Athletics Series in Jaipur last month, edging ahead on countback after both once again cleared 5.25m.

On Saturday, Kumar attempted 5.46m but was unsuccessful in all three tries. The qualifying standard set by India for the men's pole vault at the Asian Games 2026 stands at 5.45m. Earlier on Saturday, Kavinraja S claimed victory in the U20 men's pole vault with a jump of 4.90m, followed by R Vishal with 4.70m and Saurabh Yadav with 4.20m. (ANI)