Asian Athletics Championships: Silver lining for long jumper Sreeshankar
Bangkok, July 15
Star Indian long jumper Murali Sreeshankar today became the first Indian track and field athlete to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics after winning a silver medal in the Asian Athletics Championships with a second career-best effort here today.
The 24-year-old Sreeshankar achieved the qualification with his final-round jump of 8.37m on the fourth and penultimate day of the continental showpiece. The Paris Games’ mark is 8.27m and the qualification period began on July 1.
Yu Tang Lin of Chinese Taipei won gold with a fourth-round jump of 8.40m, which is the third-best effort in the world this season.
“I am relieved that I have qualified for the Olympics. I will have a lot of time to prepare for the Paris Games,” Sreeshankar said. “I knew the Chinese Taipei athlete was going to be a good competitor. I thought my last jump would go beyond 8.45m. It was a near perfect jump with the foot landing was just behind the board. It could not win gold but still happy with my performance.”
India also clinched gold as the mixed 4x400m relay team ran a national record time of 3 minutes and 14.70 seconds, while Sarvesh Anil Kushare and Swapna Barman added a silver each in the men’s high jump and heptathlon, respectively. Santhosh Kumar secured bronze in the men’s 400m hurdles.
The relay quartet of Rajesh Ramesh, Aishwarya Mishra, Amoj Jacob and Subha Venkatesan erased the earlier national record of 3:15.77s clocked during the 2019 World Championships.
“We knew that we are capable of setting national record and we achieved that. We were a bit concerned about the Japanese team (which eventually finished third). Our next aim is to run in the World Championships (next month),” Jacob said.
Santhosh clocked a personal best time of 49.09s – the fastest time by an Indian in the men’s 400m hurdles this year.
