Triple jumper Praveen Chithravel is fed up with his narrow misses in big events and is determined to prove himself at elite international competitions.
Chithravel, whose National record stands at 17.37m, missed out on a medal in the 2022 Commonwealth Games and finished fourth (16.89m) whereas two other Indians, Eldhose Paul (17.03m) and Abdulla Aboobacker (17.02m), claimed gold and silver respectively.
At the 2025 Tokyo World Championships, he managed the eighth spot (16.74m) in Group ‘B’ whereas seventh-placed Chinese Yaming Zhu (16.83m) qualified for the final.
All this rankles Chithravel, who has crossed 17m five times in the last four years.
Also read | Vishal ‘Bolt’ — The boy with bow knees who became India’s fastest quartermiler
“I lost a CWG medal by three cm. I’m impatient (to amend that). Last year, in the World Championships, something unexpected happened. My first jump was more than 17.10m, but it was a foul. In the second jump, I pulled my calf (muscle). In the third jump, I did (16.74m) and didn’t qualify for the final,” said the stylish Chithravel after breaching the CWG qualification mark with 17.08m.
“Thankfully, there is zero pain. Everything is going well. I’m following the process and I’m ready to go for a medal (at the CWG).
“In my first competition of the season, the Indian Open Jumps event, I did 16.78m, then at the Indian Athletics Series in Chennai, I did 16.95m. Now, I did 17.08m. In India, everyone breaks National records. I don’t want to break the National record here. I’m waiting for a good moment.
“I know I’m one of the best athletes in the world. In big events, I want to fight with all the (top) athletes. I want to show who I am, (someone) from India,” said Chithravel, who will turn 25 soon.
Published on May 26, 2026
