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Indian pole vaulting witnessed a landmark evening at the 29th National Senior Athletics Federation Cup as Kuldeep Kumar and Dev Meena produced a thrilling duel to jointly rewrite the men's national record with identical clearances of 5.45m at the Birsa Munda Stadium here on Sunday.
The final turned into one of the standout moments of the competition, with both vaulters repeatedly pushing each other to greater heights in front of an energised crowd in Ranchi. Kuldeep had entered the event as the national record holder with a mark of 5.41m, but Dev was the first to surpass it during the competition. Meena cleared 5.42m to set a new national record. The lead, however, changed hands within minutes. Kuldeep responded in style by soaring over 5.45m. Not to be outdone, Dev answered immediately with a successful clearance at the same height, ensuring both athletes ended the competition as joint national record holders at 5.45m. The achievement carried added significance as both athletes also crossed the qualification standard for the 2026 Asian Games. With the crowd fully invested in the contest, both vaulters attempted 5.50m in a bid to extend the national record further. Though neither could clear the height, the dramatic exchange had already sealed the event as one of the defining moments of this year's Federation Cup. The back-and-forth battle between Kuldeep and Dev reflected the rapid rise in standards in Indian athletics, particularly in the men's pole vault, where the national record was rewritten multiple times in the span of a single competition. Yesterday, Gurindervir Singh became the first Indian man to clock sub-10.10 seconds in the men's 100m with a sensational national record time of 10.09 seconds. The 24-year-old shaved 0.06 seconds off the previous national mark, which had been set just a day earlier in the semifinals by Animesh Kujur. Ironically, Gurindervir himself had briefly held the record after running 10.17 seconds in the semifinals, before Animesh eclipsed it minutes later with a 10.15-second effort. Gurindervir reclaimed the record emphatically, while both sprinters also secured qualification for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, where they will represent India in the men's 100m. (ANI)
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