National record holder Sarvesh Kochhar has already crossed the 2.30m mark, but the high jumper says his next target is even higher. After becoming the first Indian to clear 2.30m, Kochhar now has his sights set on winning gold at the Asian Games and breaking the 2.35m barrier.Kochhar created history by finishing 2.31m at the National Inter-State Athletics Championships on Saturday, bettering the previous national record of 2.29m set by Tejaswin Shankar.The 31-year-old from Maharashtra became the first Indian high jumper to reach a height of 2.30 metres. His jump is also the third best performance in the world this season and the best among Asian athletes. He also crossed the Asian Games qualification mark set by the Athletics Federation of India of 2.19 metres.After setting the national record, Kosher attempted 2.35 meters but was unable to clear the height in two attempts.“I will strive for the gold medal in the Asian Games and I am confident about it. The 2.35m mark will also go down, perhaps during the Commonwealth or Asian Games,” Koshari said after his performance, according to the news agency.This will be Koshary’s second Asian Games. He had placed fourth at the 2022 Asian Games in China with a jump of 2.26 metres.
He has also been selected in India’s 32-member athletics squad for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow scheduled from July 23 to August 2.Soon after Kochhar broke the national record, Tejaswin Shankar posted on social media: “Another mental barrier has been broken!! 2.30+ may be the last of the records. 2.34-35 is just a matter of time.”When asked if clearing 2.30 meters was a mental barrier, Kochhar said: “The height is not easy.
But if we prepare accordingly, anything is possible.“Going above 2.30m is very difficult. If we talk about the 2017-18 season, if Tejaswin had not cleared 2.26m, we would not have been ahead. He cleared 2.27m and then 2.29m, and we are also slowly behind. Thanks to God, everything was fine and I was able to do it.”Kochhar is currently training at the Anju Bobby George Foundation Academy in Bengaluru after previously training at the Army Sports Institute in Pune.Asked if he had cleared 2.30m during training, he said: “There were attempts in practice, but not many good attempts like the ones I made here. Everything was new and good for me here. It was fun competing and breaking the national record.”“But I didn’t try 2.35 meters in practice either.”