National Games: With national record under his belt, sky is the limit for pole vaulter Dev Kumar Meena

India’s never been successful internationally in the pole vault. 20-year-old Dev Kumar Meena, India’s youngest national record holder, and his coach aim to change that. 

On his tenth jump of the pole vault competition at the National Games 2025, Dev went for a new national record. It had only taken him three jumps to separate himself from the rest of the field here, but with every subsequent jump, he edged closer to S. Siva’s national mark of 5.31m set at the 2022 National Games in Gandhinagar. After two botched attempts at 5.25m, he cleared that mark, and then set the bar at 5.32m. There would be no drama about his attempt.

After sixteen pacy strides, came the strong plant of the pole and a confident take-off.

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The several inches of air between his torso and the crossbar at the apogee of his vault suggested the 20-year-old has more than enough room to improve. He then landed on the foam pit, and bounced up again, running across the track, jumped over the advertising hoarding boundaries on its edge, landing on the other side where he touched the feet of his coach.

Ghanshyam Yadav offered his blessings and then quickly sent Dev out to make another three attempts at 5.40m. But Dev was tired and the mark was too much on the day. That said, there’s nothing stopping Dev — now India’s youngest national record holder in athletics — to get there and beyond eventually.

Long term partnership

Dev is simultaneously India’s best pole vaulter and also the country’s best prospect in the highly technical event. He currently holds the Indian U-18, Junior and senior records. He’s also the only Indian pole vaulter to qualify for the Junior World Championships – which he did after a 5.16m jump in tough rainy conditions at the 2023 National Games where he also won gold.

All of Dev’s accomplishments have come while training with coach Ghanshyam, which makes his devotion to the man all the more understandable. “I wouldn’t be where I was without him,” Dev says. His coach probably feels the same way.

Dev didn’t venture into athletics thinking he wanted to become a pole vaulter. The event is, in all honesty, not most people’s first choice in India. Among all track and field events, the pole-vault is by far the most niche. Poles are expensive and the movement is complex. There are few specialist coaches.

Dev did want to play sport though. Growing up in a farming family in Silphodkheda village in Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas district, he was inspired by his cousin brother Jay Meena – who had gone to Bhopal, learned to play soft tennis and represented India in two Asian Games.

With no formal training in his village, Dev did the next best thing.

“I used to mark out 100 and 200m in chalk on the roads in my village and run there. Eventually my uncle decided to take me to Bhopal where he said there was a good stadium (TT Nagar Sports Complex) where I could train,” he says.

So when he was 13, Dev travelled to the state capital where he began to train in the 400m. While he liked the part about training in athletics, he didn’t like the event. “I got bored with the event. If I had stayed another month I would have left for home,” he remembers.

Unlikely pairing

That’s when he met Ghanshyam Singh – who suggested he try the pole vault.

Coach Ghanshyam was an unlikely proponent of the event. He is an even unlikelier pole vaulter himself. At just five foot five, he was dwarfed by the pole that can be up to 17 feet long. Yet Ghanshyam, who hails from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, was obsessed with the sport that he picked up in his youth. He made up for his lack of physical talent with perseverance, winning a bronze at the 2018 All India University Games. Not long after that, he picked up an injury, did a diploma in coaching and found his calling as a junior coach in Bhopal.

He was only 25 years-old, in his first job when he saw Dev. He says he immediately saw potential.

“To be good in the pole vault, you need height, coordination and desire. That first time I saw Dev, I could see that he was well-built and had decent height. He was also young and had good grasping power. He is also from a family that understands sport so I felt he could be a good addition to the pool of players I was preparing for this event,” he says.

It was Dev’s strong build and height — he’s currently a shade over six feet — that convinced his coach the most at first. “I was so short and yet I was able to clear 4.50m at the national level and five meters in practice. If I can do that at my height, I was sure I could make Dev an athlete who could jump 5.60m or higher,” he says.

Dev, who was then on the verge of quitting athletics anyway was quick to sign up.

“Ghanshyam coach  sir has a way of convincing. He called me in a group and said I would do very well going forward. He said I have big hands and I’d get a great grip. I saw my hands and felt yeah, they actually are quite large. He said I have a good physique and height too,” he recollects.

Although he switched events, Dev didn’t tell his family he was training to be a pole vaulter for half a year.

“Pole vault looks scary and I didn’t want them to be afraid. I wasn’t scared trying this though. It was just a kind of running and jumping. I’m glad I decided to trust coach sir. It was a life changing decision,” he says.

For nearly the entire of his first year with Ghanshyam, the coach didn’t let Dev jump. And even after he eventually let him make his first attempt at 3.60m, Ghanshyam didn’t let Dev compete for another two years – until his debut at the U-18 National Championships in Guwahati where he took a silver with a jump of 4.60m.

“Some people want to see performances at a young age. They want to see results quickly. But that wasn’t my goal. I was thinking of much bigger things,” the coach says.

Dev’s blind faith in Ghanshyam guided him through this phase.

“I was in Bhopal during the COVID pandemic. There were many moments where I would think of going home but my coach would bring me back. I even stayed with him until I earned my place after my national medal,” Dev says.

While Dev had talent, pole vault is an expensive game. His coach is grateful for support from the Madhya Pradesh government.

“Pole vault isn’t a popular sport. The Athletics Federation doesn’t even encourage pole vault before 18 years old. Despite this, the state government spends a lot of money on poles and training. They have always sent me for competitions with Dev,” he says.

While the number of athletes who are picking up the event is growing, for the most part it’s just Dev and his coach. That has created a bond and a feeling of ‘it’s them versus the world’.

“That’s how it’s always been. There are so many challenges in this sport in India. But that is a kind of motivation. Last year when Dev was competing at the national games, it was raining and the ground was wet. But I pushed him there as well. I told him  Is Mahabharata me aap aur hum saath me hain, (In this Mahabharata (battle), it’s just the two of us together,” coach Ghanshyam says.

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Last month, the Madhya Pradesh sports department hired a Cuban coach – former Pan American bronze medallist Angel Esteban Garcia – to work with Dev. Ghanshyam is supportive of the decision. “He will light the way because he has knowledge of things that I don’t know myself,” he says.

Big dreams

However it’s also true that in preparing and competing as a unit, the two have accomplished big things already. Dev’s bronze medal at the 2024 Junior Asian Championships in Dubai which he won with a height of 5.10m was India’s first in pole vault in 37 years.

There’s now the new national record as well. But neither coach nor student are satisfied.

“I think I could have done 5.40m but I was tired. I needed more stamina but I think it was hard for me because I had come into this competition after a long off season,” says Dev.

The 5.40 mark is the first target – it’s the qualifying standard set by the Athletics Federation of India for the Asian Track and field championships this year. But it isn’t the last.

“I hope we can qualify for the Asian Championships. That is our next target. People said we were mad when I said my target is Asia not India. My goal is for Dev to medal in Asia. There was a time when we weren’t even competitive in the pole vault. I vow that one day we will take his pole vault to the Olympics. Then we will take the sport to every house,” says Ghanshyam. 

Dev wants this as well. “I want one day to be able to compete at the Olympics.  Aasman ko chedna hai.  Unchai ka game hai. Waha rehna hai. (I want to touch the sky. This is a game of height I and I want to stay at the top,” he says Dev.