Monaco, 11 July (H.S.): India's national high jump record holder Sarvesh Kushare delivered an impressive performance in his Diamond League debut, securing third place in the men's high jump event on Friday. Competing in the prestigious meet in Monaco, Kushare earned a podium finish with a best leap of 2.26 metres.

Ukraine's Oleh Doroshchuk won the gold medal with a jump of 2.32 metres, while Great Britain's Kimani Jack claimed the silver medal after clearing 2.30 metres.

Although Kushare could not equal his national record of 2.31 metres, he had set that mark recently at the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar, where he surpassed Tejaswin Shankar's previous national record of 2.29 metres.

Ahead of the Diamond League competition, both Sarvesh Kushare and Kimani Jack had season-best jumps of 2.31 metres, jointly the highest among the 10 athletes in the field.

Tokyo Olympic joint gold medallists Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy and Mutaz Barshim of Qatar failed to produce their expected performances. Tamberi finished in joint sixth place with a jump of 2.23 metres, while Barshim ended in joint eighth place after clearing 2.20 metres.

Kushare's podium finish is being regarded as a significant achievement for Indian athletics and is expected to further boost his confidence ahead of upcoming international competitions.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar