How Worse Can India Treat Its Champions? Dev Meena And Kuldeep Kumar Seen Carrying Equipment On E-Rickshaw

India's leading pole vaulters Dev Kumar Meena and Kuldeep Kumar created a joint national record at the Federation Cup 2026, then were soon seen squeezed into a small e-rickshaw, balancing five-metre poles. The contrasting images, shared widely on social media, triggered strong debate about how India treats athletes who deliver at the highest level.

The video showed Dev Meena and Kuldeep Kumar carefully loading their fibreglass poles on a cramped e-rickshaw after their event in Ranchi. Hours earlier, both had secured qualification for the 2026 Commonwealth Games by clearing 5.45m, matching each other and rewriting the national mark in a gripping final.

Federation Cup 2026 pole vault record and national reaction

The clip, filmed on the streets of Ranchi, quickly went viral as fans questioned why India's top pole vaulters needed to arrange such basic transport. Pole vault equipment is long, delicate and costly, yet the athletes were left to manage the logistics themselves after a historic performance at the Federation Cup 2026.

Here is how both Dev Meena and Kuldeep Kumar travelled to their hotels with their equipment, hours after becoming joint National record holders (5.45m). #athletics@Xpress_Sports @indraneel0 pic.twitter.com/ugnuO746Gq

— Chandra Prabhu (@chandraposts) May 24, 2026

Many social media users saw the e-rickshaw ride as a symbol of wider neglect. A post from The Khel India captured the mood, stating: “Both Dev Meena & Kuldeep Kumar broke the National Record in the Pole Vault at the Nationals earlier. And after creating history, the champions had to carry their poles like this in a rickshaw Our pole vaulters deserve much better facilities!”

Federation Cup 2026 pole vault record and earlier travel dispute

This was not the first time Dev Meena and Kuldeep Kumar faced transport issues linked to their poles. Earlier in 2026, while returning from the All India Inter-University Championships, both were asked to deboard a train at Panvel by a Travelling Ticket Examiner, who objected to the poles being carried on board.

The argument with the officials reportedly left the athletes stranded at Panvel station for nearly five hours. Following that incident, Dev Meena released an emotional video questioning the treatment meted out to elite competitors, and raising concerns about how younger athletes cope when similar problems arise.

Federation Cup 2026 pole vault record and dramatic final

The off-field struggle contrasted sharply with the quality of competition in Ranchi. In the men's pole vault final, the national record changed hands twice within one evening. Kuldeep Kumar entered as the existing record holder, having cleared 5.41m earlier in May in Bhubaneswar.

During the Federation Cup 2026 final, Dev Meena first went higher than the previous standard by scaling 5.42m. Kuldeep Kumar responded by clearing 5.45m, reclaiming the top mark. Refusing to back down, Dev then matched 5.45m, sending the crowd into loud celebration as both athletes reached a new Indian high.

On countback, Dev Meena secured the gold medal because of fewer failed attempts, though both finished as joint national record holders at 5.45m. They also tried to clear 5.50m, signalling an ambition to lift Indian standards further against Asian and global competition.

By clearing 5.45m, both athletes exceeded the Athletics Federation of India qualification mark of 5.25m for the 2026 Commonwealth Games with room to spare. However, the recurring travel and equipment issues highlighted that strong performances alone may not be enough without better planning and support at ground level.

The events around the Federation Cup 2026 pole vault record underlined a stark gap between performance and infrastructure. Dev Kumar Meena and Kuldeep Kumar showed that Indian athletes can reach higher marks, yet their experiences with e-rickshaws and train disputes suggested that broader systems still need to match those ambitions.