Silver medal in men’s high jump at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026 will be a big boost to Sarvesh Anil Kushare’s confidence ahead of the Japan Asian Games

India’s 31 years old international high jumper Sarvesh Anil Kushare from Maharashtra adds another feather to his cap. In Glasgow he cleared 2.25m to add a Commonwealth Games men’s high jump silver medal to his profile. His next focus will be the Japan Asian Games. He had finished fourth in the previous edition in China.

A late bloomer has been enjoying a new high in his career. A string of good performances, including setting a national high jump record of 2.31m in domestic meet in June followed by third place finish at the Monaco Diamond League has come at a time when he was getting ready for more challenging Japan Asian Games starting September 19.

Till mid of 2025 season, the Indian Army’s high jumper from Maharashtra was hardly known outside the domestic circuit. A sixth-place finish with 2.28m at the 2025 Tokyo World Athletics Championships was a catalyst. “I got an opportunity and I grabbed it with both hands,” Sarvesh Anil Kushare had told Sportsbackstory.com of making an impact at Worlds.

The 2026 season was a breakthrough year. Halfway through the competitive season he has made a good impact at international level. Getting opportunities at regular intervals will further polish my jumping skills, he says. “It is important to have financial backing for an international exposure,” the national record holder had said after setting a national record in Odisha.

After a record-breaking feat in a domestic meet in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, he got an invitation to compete in the prestigious one-day Diamond League in Monaco.

His focus will now be on the Japan Asian Games in September. At the 2022 Asian Games held in China he finished fourth. But this time he is more prepared. It will be exciting to keep a close watch as to how far he will go in Japan.

EOM