Dev Meena Reveals How EJ Obiena's Coach Helped Him During Asian Games

Dev Meena may have missed out on an Asian Games medal, but he left Japan with another national record, a new personal best and an even clearer target for the future.

The Indian pole vaulter raised the bar to 5.50m in the men's pole vault final at the Asian Games 2026, bettering his own National Record and adding another milestone to an extraordinary rise over the past two years.

Meena had entered the competition with a national record of 5.46m, which he had set at the Inter-State Athletics Championships earlier this year. That performance had also helped him achieve the qualification mark for the Asian Games.

His latest achievement in Japan came barely a month after he and Kuldeep Kumar had shared the national record at 5.45m at the Federation Cup in Ranchi. And then Dev Meena bettered in Bhubaneswar.

The progression tells the story of Meena's rapid development.

He cleared 5.32m at the National Games in 2025, followed it up with 5.35m at the Federation Cup, then improved to 5.40m at the World University Games. In 2026, he went to 5.45m at the Federation Cup, 5.46m at the Inter-State Championships and finally 5.50m at the Asian Games.

That means Meena has broken the men's pole vault National Record six times in just two years.

Yet, for the 21-year-old, the 5.50m clearance was not the final destination.

Speaking exclusively to myKhel, Meena revealed that his mind was already focused on 5.60m when he stepped onto the runway.

"When I set the National Record, the only thing going through my mind was not to get too excited. I didn't want to stop at 5.50m. I had come here thinking about 5.60m. Even if I didn't win a medal, my target was to clear 5.60m."

That target, however, proved just beyond his reach on the night.

After successfully clearing 5.50m, Meena failed in his attempts at 5.60m and bowed out of the competition. The conditions also made the challenge tougher, while the effort required to reach his new national mark had taken a toll.

"I was putting in everything I had to clear 5.60m. I was giving it my all and trying my best to make it, but the weather conditions were not very good, and by then I was completely exhausted," Meena told myKhel.

"That's why I started at 5.20m, but after clearing 5.50m, I wasn't able to put in the same level of effort."

While missing 5.60m may have left Meena wanting more, his confidence has not taken a hit.

In fact, the young vaulter already knows what he wants to achieve next.

"I will definitely clear 5.60m next time," he said.

Meena, however, is not looking for a sudden jump in performance. His approach is centred around consistency and gradual improvement.

"I don't want to make a huge jump all of a sudden and then struggle to achieve anything further. I want to build consistency day by day, and that was exactly what I had in mind when I came into this competition."

He also admitted that his 5.50m clearance was not technically perfect.

"When I cleared 5.50m, my technique wasn't perfect and I couldn't execute the jump the way I wanted to. The pole also became slightly unbalanced at that moment," he explained.

For an athlete who has repeatedly raised the national benchmark, those small technical details could prove crucial as he looks to break into the 5.60m territory.

Meena has rewritten the national record six times in two years, but he is quick to point towards the person who has been central to that progress, his coach, Ghanshyam.

The Indian vaulter believes the record-breaking run would not have been possible without the constant support and guidance of his coach.

"I would give the credit for this to my coach, Ghanshyam Sir, because he has put in a tremendous amount of effort for me," Meena said.

"If I had been on my own, I probably wouldn't have been able to achieve all this. He has supported me in even the smallest things and has always been there for me."

The numbers underline just how quickly the partnership has produced results.

From 5.32m in 2025 to 5.50m at the Asian Games in 2026, Meena has steadily pushed the national standard higher.

But his journey is no longer only about breaking Indian records. He now wants to learn from the best in the world.

The Asian Games final also gave Meena an opportunity to compete alongside Philippine star EJ Obiena, one of the leading pole vaulters in Asia and a World Championships medallist.

Obiena successfully defended his Asian Games title in Japan, clearing 5.91m to break his own Games record of 5.90m set at Hangzhou in 2023.

For Meena, however, the experience was valuable beyond the competition itself.

He revealed that Obiena's coach offered him advice during the event and even helped him make adjustments to his pole.

"EJ Obiena's new coach helped me a lot in Japan. He told me many things, and I hope I get an opportunity to train with him someday," Meena said.

"Ghanshyam Sir and I have been thinking about going there for some training and learning from him."

Meena believes exposure to international training environments could accelerate his development.

"I want to train abroad because if I get the opportunity to train with some of the best vaulters lik Obiena, it will help me improve. EJ Obiena is one of the best vaulters in Asia."

He also praised the support he received from Obiena's coach despite the fact that Obiena himself was competing in the same final.

"His coach was also impressed with me and guided me, including helping me make changes to my pole."

With his own coach guiding him from India, Meena also sought advice from Obiena's coach during the competition.

"Ghanshyam Sir was guiding me from India, but I had also asked Obiena's coach to help me because my coach was not there with me. He told me that Obiena was competing as well, but despite that, he still took the time to help me. I really liked that about him."

The Asian Games marked another important chapter in a season that has already tested Meena at the highest level.

At the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, he finished fourth with a best clearance of 5.30m, narrowly missing out on a podium.

In Japan, he responded by producing a new national record of 5.50m.

There was no medal this time either, but Meena's focus remained firmly on his own progression.

For him, the Asian Games were not simply about standing on the podium. They were another opportunity to push his limits.

And while 5.60m remained elusive in Japan, Meena left with something equally important, belief that the mark is within his reach.

"I will definitely clear 5.60m next time."

The national record has already moved from 5.32m to 5.50m in just two years.

Now, Meena wants to see how high he can take it.