From muddy track to SAAF podium: Jumper Jithin is ready for giant leap

Chennai: Heading into the junior men's long jump event on the second day of the SAAF Junior Athletics C'ships, Mohammad Atta Sazid, who was returning from the U20 World Championships, was the favorite to win gold.

Little did everyone know that Jithin Arjunan, a native of the Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu, would outjump Sazid and win the gold medal with a personal best jump of 7.61m.

Having already secured the gold with a personal best of 7.51m, Jithin, in his last attempt, decided to go even bigger, finishing his event with a 7.61m jump, his personal best.

Incidentally, this was his first international athletics meet and the 16-year-old has taken a big leap into the athletics circuit.

In an exclusive interview with The Bridge, Jithin spoke about his journey in athletics.

Dindigul boy dreams big

Hailing from Dindigul, a district in southern Tamil Nadu, Jithin dabbled in several athletic events before settling for the long jump.

The teenager seemed to be naturally gifted in athletics, and he won medals at the state level in 100m and 110m but the long jump was his calling, and going by how his career has panned out so far, safe to say, he made the right call.

"I started athletics when I was in sixth grade. I used to run 100m, 110m hurdles, and the long jump. It was only in my ninth grade, I decided to focus just on the long jump as I was better in it than other disciplines, and doing multiple events increases the risk of injuries," Jithin said.

Jitin's strength in athletics seems to be hereditary since his father Mr. Chandrasekar too used to be an athlete during his formative years.

Since taking up a career in the banking sector, Chandrasekar, along with Jitin's uncle, coached young Jithin.

"My father used to compete back in the day when he was studying at the YMCA. He was trained by my uncle and together, they started training me when I took up athletics," he said.

Studying at the SMB Matriculation School in Dindigul, Jitin was supported by his school in his pursuit of athletic endeavors, often showing him leniency in class timings to ensure he didn't miss his practice.

"I practice in the morning and evening. Although my school time is from 8:30 am till 6 pm. They have given me permission to come at 9:30 and leave at 4:30 so that I can attend my training sessions without fail," Jithin remarked.

"My dad takes care of all of my training and my mom looks after my dietary needs. They have both played a crucial role in my career so far and will continue to do so in the years to come," he added.

Adapting to synthetic tracks

Back home, Jithin doesn't have the luxury of training in synthetic tracks as his hometown doesn't have one.

Having trained in the mud tracks, Jithin arrives early to competitions and gets used to synthetic tracks.

"I have never trained in synthetic tracks. Only during competitions, I arrive a couple of days early and train to get used to the synthetic tracks before taking part in the competition," he said.

"Different synthetic tracks need to be adapted differently. Some are bouncy and some are speedy. It is difficult sometimes to adapt to the track coming from training in mud tracks. I adjust my running technique to better make use of the track I will be competing in," he added further.

Despite his limited exposure to synthetic tracks, Jithin has been unwavering. At the Youth Nationals earlier this year, Jitin jumped 7.46m, his personal best then.

At the SAAF Junior Championships, he broke his personal best twice. It is evident the sheer amount of natural skill and talent the boy has and the enormous potential he could reach if given access to professional training facilities, on par with national and international standards.

Support from TNAA

Jithin was particularly vocal about the role the Tamil Nadu Athletic Association (TNAA) played in making sure he is taken care of by making sure he participates in a lot of competitions at the district and state level.

"I have had support from the AFI. I have also been supported by the TNAA, by ensuring I compete in tournaments within the state such as the CM Trophy, which comes with cash prizes and those have helped me as well," he said.

The CM Trophy is a Tamil Nadu government initiative to ensure talent identification across the state in various sporting disciplines.

It is a district-level competition that is conducted across the state and like Jithin, it has been helping unearth hidden talents from all over the state in many sports.

Talking about his future goals, Jithin has his eyes set on the internationals.

He narrowly missed out on the U20 World Championships but he has put that behind him and is looking forward to the upcoming international events.

"My next aim is to start doing well in international tournaments, Asian Championships and World Championships are my next goals. I want to take it step by step and enjoy the process," he concluded.

Coming from the same state that gave Jeswin Aldrin to the country, Jithin Arjunan is another story in the making, a story yet to be written but only just begun.