Birsa Munda Stadium, Ranchi | Federation Cup 2026 | May 24, 2026
Stop everything. Indian pole vault just had its greatest evening.
In a sequence of attempts that will be replayed and retold for years, Dev Meena and Kuldeep Yadav have shattered the Indian national record not once, not twice, but three times in the space of a few extraordinary attempts at Federation Cup 2026. And as if that weren’t enough — both athletes are now attempting 5.50m.
Three Attempts. Three National Records.
Here is how the history unfolded, almost too fast to process:
Dev Meena opened the fireworks by clearing 5.42m — a new Indian national record, surpassing the previous mark held by none other than Kuldeep Yadav himself standing right beside him.
Kuldeep’s response was immediate and emphatic. He cleared 5.45m — reclaiming the national record in the very next attempt as if to say the title was never leaving his hands.
Then Dev Meena stepped back onto the runway. He cleared 5.45m too — equalling the brand new national record and ensuring neither man could claim it alone.
Three national record moments. Back to back to back. One of the most breathtaking sequences of performances Indian athletics has ever witnessed at a domestic championship.
How history unfolded — attempt by attempt
Training Partners Pushing Each Other to History
What gives this story its most extraordinary dimension is what these two athletes are to each other off the runway. Dev Meena and Kuldeep Yadav are training partners. They train under the same coach. Every session, every drill, every vault in practice has been shared between them.
And now, on the biggest stage of the domestic calendar, they have pushed each other to places neither may have reached alone. This is what great training partnerships produce — not just improvement, but transformation. The rivalry is real, the competitiveness is fierce, but the foundation is one of shared purpose and mutual respect.
It echoes the greatest rivalries in athletics history — the ones where the competitor across the runway is not an enemy but a mirror, reflecting back what is possible when both athletes refuse to let the other have the last word.
Both Clear CWG Qualification
Amid the national record drama, an equally significant subplot: both Dev Meena and Kuldeep Yadav have now breached the Commonwealth Games 2026 qualification standard. The CWG mark of 5.25m has been cleared — emphatically — by both men. Barring selection complications, India will send two genuine pole vault medal contenders to the Commonwealth Games.
That alone would have been a headline. Tonight, it is almost a footnote.