Glasgow: Sarvesh Kushare wins silver, Tejaswin Sha...

By Rohan Gupta — 28 July 2026 — 3 min read

Sarvesh Kushare secured a silver medal in the men’s high jump at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, marking a significant achievement for India. This medal represents India’s first men’s high jump finish above bronze at the Games. His teammate, Tejaswin Shankar, who was forced to withdraw early due to injury, remained pitch-side throughout the final, offering support to his fellow Indian athletes.

Shankar’s participation in the competition was brief, lasting only one jump. Despite initially being listed as DNS (Did Not Start), he appeared with the other finalists. During his opening attempt at 2.05m, he experienced discomfort in his knee and did not clear the bar, ending his competition. He later identified the injury as patellar tendinitis, a condition often referred to as ‘jumper’s knee’.

Shankar’s Support and Injury

Following his withdrawal, Shankar, a 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, chose to stay at the edge of the apron rather than heading to the mixed zone. He provided real-time advice and encouragement to Kushare and Aadarsh Ram Jothi Shankar, the other Indian athletes competing. This included a suggestion to Kushare to skip a height and attempt a higher one, though Kushare opted to clear 2.25m on his final try, which he successfully did.

Shankar expressed his disappointment at not being able to compete fully, stating his belief that he could have won a medal. He attributed his early exit to the overuse of patellar tendinitis. Despite the setback, he maintained that he was in his best shape and intended to return to competition, though his participation in the decathlon was considered doubtful due to the short recovery time available for a tendon injury.

Shankar’s athletic journey includes a bronze medal in the high jump at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. He also achieved gold at the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games. Born on December 21, 1998, in Saket, New Delhi, he initially aspired to be a fast bowler before transitioning to athletics. His path was influenced by personal challenges, including the loss of his father in 2014.

He secured a four-year athletics scholarship to Kansas State University in 2017, where he pursued a degree in accounting and finance while competing in the NCAA circuit. In 2018, he set the Indian outdoor high jump record at 2.29m and the indoor national record at 2.28m, records that remain among the best performances by an Indian athlete in the discipline.

Kushare’s Historic Silver

For Kushare, the silver medal in Glasgow capped an extraordinary year. Earlier in the month, he became the first Indian to clear 2.30m, breaking a national record previously held by Shankar for eight years. He also achieved a third-place finish in Monaco, becoming only the fourth Indian to reach a Diamond League podium in any event. His journey to this achievement involved overcoming challenges, including improvising landing pits with agricultural waste in his village of Devargaon, Nashik, where foam mattresses were unavailable.

Kushare did not compete nationally until he was nearly 20, considered a late start in the sport. His decade of success at domestic meets culminated in this historic Commonwealth Games medal. In the final, only Kushare and Romaine Beckford of Jamaica remained after the bar reached 2.25m. Both cleared this height but then missed 2.28m. Beckford secured the gold medal based on a better record at lower heights, having cleared 2.25m on his first attempt. England’s Jack Kimani claimed bronze at 2.20m, while Aadarsh finished fifth with 2.15m.

Kushare’s silver medal is a significant milestone, representing the first time an Indian man has won a high jump medal beyond bronze at the Commonwealth Games. Shankar’s presence and support, despite his own injury, provided a unique element to the competition.

Sarvesh Kushare and Tejaswin Shankar Credit: indiatoday.in

The Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow, scheduled from July 23 to August 2, holds significant importance for India, with many Olympic and world medallists anticipated to lead the country’s efforts.