Sreeshankar, 24, successfully defended the gold title he won last year, landing his best jump of 8.18m on his sixth and final attempt. This is his sixth best career performance in long jump. In the previous edition, he won gold with a jump of 8.31 m.
Sreeshankar’s series of jumps included distances of 7.94m, 8.17m, 8.11m, 8.04m, 8.01m and the winning jump of 8.18m. However, he narrowly missed the 8.25m qualifying standard set for the 2023 World Championships in Athletics.
The victory marked Sreeshankar’s second international gold medal of the season. He had already clinched first place at the MVA High Performance Meet in Chula Vista, USA with a wind-assisted 8.29m jump on April 30. Although this jump was not eligible for record purposes, it highlighted his outstanding form.
Sreeshankar holds a personal best of 8.36m, which he achieved last year, showing his consistency and skill in the long jump event.
Jeswin Aldrin, the national record holder with a jump of 8.42m set in March, secured second place with his best jump of 7.85m. Aldrin’s streak included jumps of 7.81m, 7.85m, 7.74m, 7.74m, 7.79m and a foul.
Jalen Rucker of Australia finished in third place, recording a best jump of 7.80m in the competition.
(With PTI entries)
