Asian Games 2026: Sarvesh Kushare vows 'Apna Time Aayega' after historic Silver in High Jump

Sarvesh Kushare produced a landmark performance at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026, winning silver in the men's high jump and ending India's long wait for a medal in the event.

The 31-year-old cleared 2.25m at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, matching the height achieved by Chinese Taipei's Fu Chao-hsuan.

The fine margins of high jump decided the medals. Fu cleared 2.25m on his first attempt, while Kushare needed two attempts. With both athletes unable to go higher, Fu took gold on countback. South Korea's Woo Sang-hyeok won bronze with 2.22m.

Kushare's route to silver included successful clearances at 2.10m, 2.14m, 2.18m, 2.22m and 2.25m, before three unsuccessful attempts at 2.28m.

The medal also carries added significance given his journey. At the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, Kushare cleared a higher 2.26m but finished fourth. In 2026, he has already won Commonwealth Games silver and set an Indian national record of 2.31m, making the Asian Games podium another milestone in an increasingly decorated career.

And after his historic medal win, the Indian athlete thanked his family for the support. He also credited the coaches and the entire nation for their collective support.

"I would like to dedicate this medal to my country and my family. I am here because of their support. Nothing happens alone.
When the whole team works together, we can perform. A person can train as much as he wants. But as long as he has the physio, massager, the federation, the competition, like we came to Sukuba for training, it was raining there as well," Kushare said.

Kushare was denied a gold medal by a whisker, but the Indian athlete wants to move past that and believes his day will come.

"I was doing well. But at the last moment, his jump was cleared and mine wasn't. I wanted to change the colour of my medal [to Gold], but no problem, my time will come. I could have pushed more, but I will do better in coming tournaments," he added.