India of Sarvesh Kushara made his first impression in the Monaco Diamond League 2026 by finishing third in the men’s high jump. The 31-year-old cleared 2.26m to secure a place on the podium at Stade Louis II. As a result, he became the first Indian to finish in the top three of the Diamond League earlier and only the fourth Indian athlete to finish in the top three of the Diamond League, joining Vikas Gowda, Neeraj Chopra and Murali Sreeshankar.Kushare excelled throughout, clearing 2.12m, 2.16m, 2.20m, 2.23m and 2.26m, all on her first attempt. He was unable to clear 2.28m despite three attempts, which left him third. Ukraine’s Oleh Doroshchuk won the event with a jump of 2.32m, while Great Britain’s Jack Kimani finished second with 2.30m in his Diamond League performance.Kushare’s podium finish was impressive as he finished ahead of several top jumpers, including Tokyo Olympic gold medalists Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy and Mutaz Barshim of Qatar, who finished seventh and eighth respectively.The result adds to what has already been a successful year for the Indian high jumper. Last month, he set a new record of 2.31m at the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar, breaking Tejaswin Shankar’s eight-year mark. He also became the fastest Indian athlete to qualify for the finals at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo last year.Kushare has also been named in India’s 32-man athlete squad for the 2026 Commonwealth Games and will go into the tournament full of confidence after a brilliant performance in the Diamond League.
