Learning from past mistakes but not dwelling too much on missed medals and focussing on the future is what an athlete’s life is all about.

Triple jumper Abdulla Aboobacker knows it all too well.

The 30-year-old Abdulla, a Junior Warrant Officer in the Indian Air Force, is ready for another crucial season in his career after a disappointing end to 2025. On the agenda this year are two mega events – Commonwealth Games (CWG), where he won silver in 2022, and the Asian Games.

In an exclusive interview with Sportstar, Abdulla reveals how he is approaching the 2026 season, his thoughts on the qualification criteria for CWG and Asian Games and more:-

When did you end your 2025 season and begin your off season?

I ended my season at the World Championship in Japan (where he failed to qualify for the final). Then, I started the off season at the Air Force base in Bengaluru. Even now, I have taken part in two competitions but it is still the off season. I haven’t started my season yet.

Did you take a break after the World Championships?

After the World Championships, I took a one-and-a-half-month break. Then, I went to Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) for rehab and strength and conditioning before joining training at Air Force in December. Since then, I have been training there under coach Harikrishnan along with Karthik Unnikrishnan & long jumper Siddharth Mohan Naik.

Did you make any changes in your technique or strategy during the off season?

Last year, I hit my peak in the off season itself. I thought I’ll start with explosive speed and then, maintain stability. I jumped 17.19m in the first competition itself. I did so well in the off season but could not be consistent later. I could not do the off season properly.

This year, I thought that I’ll compete in two events in the off season itself but won’t hit my peak yet. If I peaked too soon, it will cause issues later in the year when there is Asian Games in September-October.

Gold medal winner Eldhose Paul, left, of India and compatriot and silver medal winner Abdulla Aboobacker celebrate after the men’s triple jump final at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. | Photo Credit: AP

My target is to put in full effort during the Federation Cup now.

My coach told me to do only three jumps during the first two competitions. I did three jumps during the Indian Open Jumps Competition. In Indian Athletics Series 1, I did three. I felt I was jumping well and could potentially break the National Record (17.37m), so I attempted a fourth one but it was a foul.

Then I thought that it is okay. There is good competition this year with Praveen (Chithravel) and also, Selva Prabhu who cleared 17m (17.05 at the NCAA Indoor Championships). So, I feel we can break the NR at the Fed Cup.

How do you see the qualification criteria set by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) for CWG and Asian Games? You can’t qualify by meeting the entry standard once. You have to take part in two meets, state championships, Fed Cup and then, at Inter-State, which will be the final selection trial, to achieve the entry standard again.

Our target is the Asian Games. Jumping at the state meet and nationals will provide experience and help our coordination. If this is my mentality, then I won’t feel any pressure or mental stress.

If we think about why AFI is doing this while our focus is just on one competition, then we won’t be able to concentrate. We have to be ready for anything. I feel the federation is right as they want consistent performances. If I do well in one event and I’m down in the next, even they’ll start doubting.

What is your main goal for this season? You have already achieved the qualifying mark for Asian Games (16.28m). And CWG shouldn’t be a problem either.

The qualification standard for CWG is 16.89m. In my first two events, I did 16.83m and 16.82m. So, it is manageable. What’s in my mind is that I won silver at last CWG while Eldhose Paul won gold. In that same competition, there was a Jamaican triple jumper, Jordan Scott, who is doing well globally now. He did 17.52m in 2025. Right now, he is close to 17.30-17.40. My mindset is to compete with him and beat him. He won silver in World Indoors and is a consistent jumper.

For Asian Games, the Chinese and the Korean teams are good competitors.

Triple jump is such an explosive and technical discipline. How do you manage injuries?

Injuries will come and go in sports. JSW supports so much that I just need to make one call and everything will be ready before I go to IIS for rehab. That’s why, I don’t feel any tension.

Right now, I’m training at the Air Force base but in case I need any help in terms of facilities or focussed rehab, I can put in a request here and go to IIS.

I had heel pain in 2022 and 2025. Back pain, ankle pain…. All this is normal since we are pushing our bodies a lot.

I notice the symptoms early and adjust my recovery accordingly. I am not alone. I have a big support system behind me.

At the last Asian Games, you finished fourth. Does it still bother you that you came so close to a medal?

Actually, even at CWG, the difference between Eldhose and me was one centimetre. Next year, at the Asian Games, the gap between me and Praveen, who finished third, was six centimetres.

This time, I don’t want it to be so close and therefore, I’m targeting bigger jumps.

The last Asian Games was three years ago and I can’t do anything about it. But it felt really bad to finish fourth because finishing fourth, 10th or 100th is all equal in terms of participation value. No one will even remember if I finished fourth or 10th.

Nevertheless, now it is about focussing on the future.

Published on Apr 14, 2026