Tamil Nadu Star Clears 5.30m to Clinch Pole Vault Gold
In a high-flying masterclass at the JN Stadium, Chennai, Tamil Nadu’s Reegan Ganesh solidified his status as one of India’s premier vertical jumpers, clinching the men’s pole vault title at Indian Series-6. Ganesh cleared a height of 5.30m, a mark that further cements his place as the country’s most consistent performer in the discipline this year.
This victory is a significant tactical milestone for Ganesh. While it is the third time he has breached the 5.30m barrier in 2026, it marks his first successful outdoor clearance at this height. Earlier this season, Ganesh set a then-national indoor record of 5.30m in March at the National Indoor Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar. Transitioning that indoor rhythm to the unpredictable outdoor winds of Chennai proves his technical maturity as he prepares for the upcoming Asian Games.
The atmosphere at JN Stadium hit a fever pitch when Ganesh raised the bar to 5.45m—the qualifying standard set by the AFI for the 2026 Asian Games and just centimeters shy of the current national record. Currently held by Kuldeep Kumar (5.41m, set just days ago in Bhubaneswar), the national record looked under threat as Ganesh made three spirited attempts. He came agonizingly close on his final vault, brushing the bar on his descent, a clear signal that the record is well within his reach.
The competition remained stiff throughout the evening. M Gowtham secured the silver medal, clearing 5.10m. Gowtham, a consistent 5.20m performer and former national champion, provided a steady challenge but couldn’t find the explosive lift needed to match Ganesh. Ram Ratan (Ramratan Singh), a rising 20-year-old talent who recently cleared 5.20m in April, rounded out the podium with a bronze-medal height of 5.00m.
For Reegan Ganesh, a former farmer’s son from Thanjavur who once trained with bamboo sticks, the 5.30m mark is just the baseline. With the Asian Games in sight and his eyes firmly fixed on Kuldeep Kumar’s 5.41m mark, the race for the title of “India’s Greatest Vaulter” is officially on.