New Delhi: High jumper Sarvesh Anil Kushare ticked two important boxes at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, commendable after India’s subdued performances until Tuesday evening. The 30-year-old, the first Indian high jumper to feature in the global event, cleared a personal best of 2.28m to finish a creditable sixth in the final, having qualified for the medal round clearing 2.25m in the preliminary round.
The jumper from Nashik in Maharashtra mimicked drawing the sword during the announcement before the competition, and did the Ravindra Jadeja-like sword flash after failing in his third and final attempt at 2.31. It would have been too much to ask after the bar had been raised by three centimetres, but Kushare had held his nerves, after two failures, going past his personal best of 2.27m in the previous round.
The 2.28m is a centimetre short of Tejaswin Shankar’s national record of 2.29m, which has stood since April, 2018. Kushare can be proud after a consistent season in which he twice cleared 2.26m. On Tuesday at the Japan National Stadium, only four competitors jumped higher than him. New Zealand’s Olympic champion Hamish Kerr (2.36m) won gold, South Korea’s Woo Sangh-yeok (2.34) the silver and Czech Jan Stefela (2.31) the bronze.
Kushare, whose jumping technique is mainly based on his fast approach to the bar, cleared the initial height of 2.20m in his first attempt. It was the height he failed to clear at the 2024 Paris Olympics to be eliminated in the qualifying stage, but has been a vastly improved jumper this season.
He cleared 2.24 in the second try, and held his nerves before the huge crowd to clear 2.28m, despite having twice failed twice to clear the height. Kushare had made it to the Worlds via the global rankings route, the 2023 Asian Championships silver medallist placed 34th out of 36 who made it.
Kipyegon sizzles
Faith Kipyegon added a fresh layer to her status as an all-time great track athlete by winning her fourth 1,500m world title in dominant fashion. The three-time Olympic champion and world record holder equalled Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj, who has four victories in the distance. Kipyegon, who bettered the world record for a third time in July – 3 minutes, 48.68 seconds – and came close to becoming the first woman to run a sub-four minute mile, is in Tokyo aiming for a 1,500-5,000m double.
She left her rivals in no doubt that she was at another level, hitting the front straight away and controlling the pace before powering away coming into the final straight. She clocked 3:52.15 seconds, winning by almost three seconds. Dorcus Ewoi made it a Kenyan 1-2 while Australia’s Paris Olympics silver medallist Jessica Hull prevented a Kenyan clean sweep, edging out Nelly Chepchirchir for third.
Kipyegon, who held up four fingers to indicate her world titles, is only the second woman to win four world titles in the same track event – Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has five 100m titles.
“This sport drives me. I won here in 2021 (Olympics) just after becoming a mother, so being back here, winning again, means I can show a new gold medal to my daughter,” Kipyegon said.
Katzberg wins hammer
Canada’s Ethan Katzberg uncorked a championship record 84.70m in his second attempt to defend the men’s hammer throw gold. His first try was 82.66m only for Germany’s Merlin Hummel (82.77m) to take the lead. The 23-year-old Paris Olympics champion responded with the longest throw in the world for two decades. His next best effort was 83.73m. It was a hammer double for the third global meet in a row for Canada with Camryn Rogers taking the women’s titles. Hummel, who couldn’t improve on his first try, took silver and Hungary’s Bence Halasz (82.69) bronze.
Tinch wins 110m hurdles
Cordell Tinch made up for fellow American and three-time defending champion Grant Holloway’s semi-final elimination by winning the 110m hurdles. Tinch, who gave up athletics for three years following the Covid pandemic and did jobs like selling mobile phones and working in a toilet paper factory, credited that break to “finding myself”. The only runner to dip under 13 seconds, he won in 12.99secs, ahead of Orlando Bennett (13.08).
