4 min readNew DelhiApr 12, 2026 07:00 AM IST Pooja’s three attempts at the 14-year national record for women’s high jump may have failed but the Haryana teenager achieved the goal she had manifested, the 1.90m mark, and a new personal best, on Saturday at the India Open Athletics Series at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. This is the first time any Indian high jumper has touched the 1.90m mark after Sahaha Kumari’s national record of 1.92m in 2012. 19-year-old Pooja, who is unbeaten at the national level in her past six competitions, moved past her previous personal best of 1.89m which she achieved during her title-winning performance at the Asian Athletics Championships 2025. “I know I missed the national record but a new personal best is good for me. Main soch ke aayi thi ki aaj toh 1.90m karna hai. (I had manifested that I would achieve 1.90m today),” said Pooja after her performance. While Pooja cleared the qualification mark of 1.80m set for the Asian Games, the Commonwealth Games mark of …