20-year-old jumps at a height equal to Asian Games bronze finish

Another athlete from Tamil Nadu — Gracena Glistus Mery attained one with a 1.84m effort to win the women’s High Jump. The 20-year-old cleared that height on her second attempt after having needed three tries to cross the bar when it was placed at 1.81m. Her previous best of 1.79m was achieved in the University trials in Bhubaneshwar on March 8.

The last time an Indian woman jumped higher than Gracena Mery’s 1.84m was back on June 3, 2017, when heptathlete Swapna Barman cleared 1.87m. The girl from Kanyakumari thus becomes the latest Indian high jumper to join the 1.80m club. Her clearance drew gasps since it was the height that was good for the bronze medal in the Asian Games in Jakarta in 2018.