India, April 22 -- Pole vaulter Dev Meena broke the national record for a second time this season, showing promise in one of the toughest disciplines in athletics.

The 19-year-old from Madhya Pradesh scaled 5.35m to create a new national record at the National Federation Senior Athletics Championships in Kochi on Tuesday. This was the second time in recent months that Meena has shattered the national mark. At the 38th National Games in February, Meena cleared 5.32m to set a new record. Though Meena fell short of the qualifying mark (5.51m) for the Asian Championships, he was looking ahead to the season.

"I wanted to raise the bar but there was light drizzle and I didn't continue on the advice of my coach. It was not gripping and could h...