Dev Meena, 19, soars to new heights, rewrites national record

Dev Meena soared high under the bright blue Dehradun sky, with mountains providing a dramatic backdrop, cleared the bar without much fuss and fell on the mat with arms outstretched. And off he went: sprinting towards his coach Ghanshyam, touching his feet and then giving a big hug to his Cuban coach Angel Eduardo Garcia Esteban.One of India’s most promising young athletes added to his burgeoning reputation breaking the three-year-old national record, crossing 5.32m at the National Games at Maharana Pratap Sports College here on Monday.
Meena broke the previous NR of Siva Subramani, which stood at 5.31m and was set at the 2022 National Games Gujarat. With his feat, Meena, who hails from Madhva Pradesh became the best pole vaulter in the country, holding both U20 and senior NRs.

Dev Meena breaks the national record in Men’s Pole Vault.
The youngster from Madhya Pradesh jumped 5.32m to break the previous NR of Siva that stood at 5.31m.@IExpressSports pic.twitter.com/KUOe2Ci1aD
— Pritish Raj (@befikramusafir) February 10, 2025
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Product of Madhya Pradesh Sports Academy, Meena has been on a constant rise after starting his journey at the U18 level. “I had a feeling since morning that I will do something good today. Breaking the national record was always the plan and I am glad to execute it today,” a beaming Meena told The Indian Express.
The constant rise since 2022
In the space of just three years, Meena has risen through the ranks of Indian athletics.
The 19-year-old joined the MP Sports Academy after switching track to field. He used to run 400m but coach Ghanshyam spotted him and convinced him to switch to pole vault, given his tall frame (180 cm). “Coach Sahab convinced me that I will do something great in future and I should move to pole vault as my hands are big and I have a good grip,” recalled Meena.
After Dev started training at the academy, it was a conscious move to not let him compete in the early days. “The idea was to get him ready for jumping and not push into competing early. If young athletes are forced to compete early on, usually it results in burnout,” said Ghanshyam.Story continues below this ad
The move worked as Meena recorded a jump of 4.60m in 2022 in his first-ever recorded jump. Earlier in 2023, Meena broke the U18 national record jumping 4.91m at the Khelo India Youth Games, Madhya Pradesh. “The practice for the first six months when I didn’t compete came in handy as I quickly started improving after my debut,” said Dev.
After breaking the U18 NR, Meena touched the 5m-mark for the first time in 2023 and never looked back. “I always knew that he was ready for the big stages and we made sure that the progress was gradual. Once he entered the 5m-mark, we wanted to go beyond the national record,” Ghanshyam said.
Meena attempted NR at the 2023 National Games in Goa but rain played spoilsport and last year, when he went for the record at the U23 Open Championships in Patna, flood lights went off in one section of the ground, thus impacting his performance.
Eventually with the arrival of the Cuban coach Gracia, Meena improved and took a massive leap to improve his personal best.Story continues below this ad
The guru-shishya bond
Pole Vault National Record holder Dev Meena with his coach Ghanshyam. (Express Photo Pritish Raj)
One of the reasons behind Meena’s rise has been his relationship with coach Ghanshyam.
A former pole vaulter, he took Meena under his wings when he was 16 years old. “I am here only because of Ghanshyam sir. I would have returned home if he didn’t convince me to switch to pole vault. I wasn’t feeling much excited my progress in running. Once I started pole vault, there was no turning back,” Meena said.
The duo share an unbreakable bond with Meena trusting his coach, and the coach putting hard yards into training his prodigy. After failing twice at the 5.25m mark on Monday, an exhausted Meena trudged back to his coach, who played the videos of his two attempts on a tab, giving spontaneous analysis.
When asked what he told him, Ghanshyam said, “I just asked him to take a breather as he was jumping constantly. I told him to increase the speed when he approached the takeoff spot and it worked. I always tell him that we are together in this battle of k Mahabharati.”Story continues below this ad
With the year just starting, Meena is set for great things coming for him if he continues his rapid progress. “Aasman ko chedna hai. Unchai ka game hai and wahi rehna hai (I want to continue flirting with the skies, this is a game of heights and that’s where I want to stay),” concluded Meena.