Commonwealth Games 2022 athletics: Eldhose Paul wins India’s first triple jump gold medal; Abdulla Aboobacker bags silver
The result was the first Indian 1-2 in athletics at CWG. Eldhose Paul recorded a jump of 17.03m in Birmingham. Praveen Chithravel finished fourth.
Eldhose Paul and Abdulla Aboobacker won gold and silver medals, respectively, to secure a double podium finish for India in the men’s triple jump competition at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham on Sunday.
Eldhose Paul, who last month became the first Indian triple jumper to make the world athletics championships final, recorded a 17.03m jump to finish top in a 14-man field at Birmingham 2022. The mark was better than Eldhose Paul's personal best 16.99m logged at the Federation Cup earlier this year but since the leap at Birmingham was wind-assisted (+3.1m/s) it won't count as his legal PB.
Abdulla Aboobacker’s silver-winning leap, meanwhile, measured 17.02m - just 0.17m off his personal best. Praveen Chithravel, the third Indian in the fray, finished a commendable fourth, with a best of 16.89m. The result was the first 1-2 for India in athletics at the Commonwealth Games.
Bermuda’s Jah-Nhai Perinchief clinched the bronze medal with 16.92m, denying the Indians a clean sweep.
With Perinchief setting the benchmark with his 16.92m attempt in his first jump, Praveen Chithravel and Abdulla Aboobacker stayed on the Bermuda athlete’s coat-tails in second and third right from the beginning.
However, it was 26-year-old Eldhose Paul who leapt into the lead after the third attempt with a massive 17.03m attempt. Interestingly, Paul had made a slow start compared to his peers, with jumps of 14.62m and 16.30m in the first two rounds, respectively.
After the fourth round, Eldhose, Perinchief and Praveen occupied the top three positions with Abdulla Aboobacker in fourth. Abdulla, however, produced an impressive 17.02m with his fifth attempt to climb to second place and pushed compatriot Praveen out of the top three.
With his efforts, Eldhose Paul won India’s first gold medal in the triple jump at the Commonwealth Games.
Before Birmingham, India had won only four medals in the triple jump at the Commonwealth Games. Mohinder Singh Gill won a bronze (1970) and silver (1974), national record holder Renjith Maheswary won a bronze (2010) and Arpinder Singh won a bronze (2014).
Progression of Indian athletes in triple jump at Commonwealth Games 2022
Eldhose Paul: 14.62m, 16.30m, 17.03m, 16.43m, 16.63m, 16.11m
Abdulla Aboobacker: 16.57m, 16.62m, 16.71m, 16.70m, 17.02m, 16.88m
Praveen Chithravel: 16.75m, 16.45m, 16.89m, 16.68m, 16.85m, 16.28m