Asian Games Athletics: Praveen Chithravel wins bronze in triple jump

Praveen Chitravel secured the Bronze Medal in the Men's Triple Jump event at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou on Tuesday.

Chitravel started strongly with a jump of 16.68m, propelling himself to the second position. He maintained his consistency in the second jump with 16.63m but slipped to third place as the eventual Gold Medalist, Zhu Yaming, soared ahead with a distance of 16.97m.

During his third jump, Chitravel had a remarkable leap that seemed to secure second place, but unfortunately, it was deemed a foul as he crossed the line. In his fourth and fifth attempts, he managed distances of 16.24m and 16.07m, respectively, but was unable to improve his position, ultimately concluding the competition with a failed attempt and a well-deserved Bronze Medal.

Aboobacker Abdulla on the other hand, finished fourth with a distance of 16.62m, which he achieved during his second jump. He initially had a modest jump of 15.39m but improved in his second attempt. Although he crossed the line during his third jump and did not receive a mark, he bounced back with distances of 16.45m, 16.37m, and 16.47m in his last three attempts.

Praveen Chitravel, the National Record Holder, set this record in May of this year at a meet in Cuba, where he reached an impressive 17.37m. Abdulla also has a personal best of 17.19m but did not perform as well on this particular day.

Arpinder Singh of India was the reigning champion in the Men's Triple Jump event at the Asian Games, having won the Gold Medal in 2018 with a jump of 16.77m.