For most high jumpers, careers usually spiral towards decline after crossing the age of 30 and it also brings an uncomfortable question: How much longer can I compete? But for Sarvesh Anil Kushare who turned 30 last June, it did not mark the beginning of the end. Instead, it signalled the start of the finest chapter of his high jump career.
On his Commonwealth Games debut, the 31-year-old from Maharashtra exhibited the finest pictures of his late career resurgence.
Under gloomy skies and in challenging conditions at Scoutstown Stadium in Glasgow, the Indian high jumper soared to a historic silver medal. When his torso cleared 2.25m, Sarvesh became the first Indian high jumper to win a Commonwealth Games silver medal and only the second after Tejaswin Shankar to stand on the high jump podium at the Games.
Romaine Beckford of Jamaica wins gold on countback after both athletes failed to leap 2.28m while England’s rising star Jack Kimani settled for bronze with the best clearance of 2.20m.
Another Indian high jumper , Adarsh Ram finished a creditable fifth on his debut CWG with a leap of 2.15m while Birmingham CWG medalist Tejaswin sustained an injury in his first attempt (2.05m) and walked back after landing with discomfort. He is scheduled to compete in Decathlon, which begins on July 30.
The podium finish in Glasgow marked the first multi-sport Games medal of Sarvesh Kushare’s career, but his late renaissance last year, when he became India’s first-ever men’s high jump finalist at the World Athletics Championships, finishing sixth in Tokyo.
Just last month in June, the 31-year-old broke the national record with a clearance of 2.31m at the National Interstate Athletics Championships 2026, becoming the first Indian to breach the elusive 2.30m barrier.
He did not stop there. Weeks later, he made history on his Diamond League debut in Monaco by clearing 2.26m, becoming the first Indian high jumper to finish inside the top three. In doing so, he joined an elite group of Indian field athletes featuring Neeraj Chopra, Vikas Gowda and Murali Sreeshankar.
From Makeshift Corn-Husk Pit to World Stage
Sarvesh’s journey began when he was in Class 7 in the small village of Deogaon in Nashik, Maharashtra. His childhood coach, Raosaheb Jadhav, spotted his extraordinary talent using the scissors technique while he was competing alongside much older students from Classes 11 and 12.
When Sarvesh decided to switch to the Fosbury Flop technique to improve his performances, he did not have access to a proper landing mat to prevent serious injuries. His family could not afford one either.
So, his father, Anil Kushare, a farmer, along with coach Jadhav, decided to build one themselves through jugaad, using dried corn husk, agricultural waste, cattle fodder, tailoring waste, cotton and flower waste. They stuffed the materials together to create a makeshift landing pit and that’s how Sarvesh’s career took flight.
His career gained momentum in 2016 when he joined the Indian Army’s 101 Field Regiment and began training at the Army Sports Institute in Pune. With access to the facilities he had long needed, he flourished under coach Jithin Thomas.