Kuldeep knows how to win laurels at the highest levelHe won a Bronze medal at the Asian Youth Championships in Kuwait, followed by a silver at the South Korea International Invitation meet and a gold at the National Junior Federation Cup in Lucknow
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Kuldeep Yadav (L), Ghanshyam Yadav (C) and Dev Meena (R) pose after a successful outing in the Federation Cup(Credits: X)
Pole vault is not a discipline that every Indian is associated with but a certain individual named Kuldeep Yadav is making sure to spread the sport all across the nationThe 21-year-old, who is a part of India’s athletics contingent for the 2026 Asian Games later this month, has had an exhausting yet tremendous journey so far, filled with trials and difficulties.
Born to a father who sells milk for a living and a mother who is a skilled homemaker, Kuldeep Yadav has never let his background or family situations affect his stride to become a top Pole vaulterComing from a remote village of Alawalpur in Haryana, Kuldeep has had to fight his way through amid financial hardships and limited resources.
If he was handed a scholarship by ONGC, then it was solely because of his talent and zeal to improve India’s positioning in the Pole vault disciplineBut everything comes with a costIt was earlier this year that Kuldeep Yadav thrown off a train by a ticket collector while travelling for a local competitionThe reason? His equipment.
Then came a video where Kuldeep was seen struggling to fit his poles inside an electric rickshaw in order to travel back to his hotel from the venueAll of us must have seen those videosImagine facing such trials and then breaking the national record, that’s the power of determination and willpower.
While competing in the Federation Cup earlier this year, Kuldeep Yadav along with his teammate Dev Meena, broke the national record twice and equalled it onceKuldeep and Meena are currently joint national record holder with jumps of 5.45 metes which helped them qualify for the Asian Games and also surpassed the Commonwealth Games 2026 standard of 5.25 meters.
Then at the Indian Indoor Open competition back in May, Kuldeep Yadav broke Dev Meena’s previous record of 5.40 meters by leaping 5.41 metersInterestingly, both the athletes train under the same coach Ghanshyam Yadav at the DSWY Academy in Madhya Pradesh.
The duo were also named in the Indian athletics squad for the Asian Games 2026 six days ago in a 77-member contingentThis will be Kuldeep Yadav’s first attempt at winning a medal in the continental event and he will be hoping to peak at the right time of the season.
Kuldeep knows how to win laurels at the highest levelHe won a Bronze medal at the Asian Youth Championships in Kuwait, followed by a silver at the South Korea International Invitation meet and a gold at the National Junior Federation Cup in Lucknow.
After getting selected for the Indian contingent for the 2026 Asian Games, Kuldeep Yadav expressed his pride and assured that it’s time he fulfills his dream of winning a medal at the quadrennial event, claiming that he will produce his best-ever performance at Aichi-Nagoya.
“Wearing the Indian jersey is the biggest pride in every athlete’s lifeThe time has come to fulfill the childhood dream of winning a medal for the country in the Asian GamesI will give my best performance on the grounds of Japan,” Kuldeep said.
The 2026 Asian Games will begin on September 19.
