India Grand Prix 3 | Triple jumper Abdulla Aboobacker qualifies for World Athletics Championship
On Saturday, Abdulla Aboobacker of Kerala secured the men's triple jump gold medal and advanced to the World Athletics Championships with a 17.19m effort at the Indian Grand Prix 3. For the world meet in Oregon, USA, the qualifying standard was set at 17.14m, which no other Indian has breached.
Aboobacker had just two valid attempts on the Kalinga Stadium tracks in Bhubaneswar, with his fifth leap earning him the gold medal. His first try was 16 metres, and he did not attempt the sixth. His previous best was 16.84m, and with his gold-winning performance on Saturday, he joined a select group of Indian men who have jumped over 17 metres in the triple jump.
Karthik Unnikrishnan, the silver medalist, too broke the 17m barrier, reaching 17.10m in his final try. Bronze went to Paul Eldhose (16.87m). National record holder Renjith Maheshwary (17.30m) and Asian Games winner Arpinder Singh are the other Indians in the 17m club (17.17m).
The Indian Grand Prix 3 witnessed a weakened lineup in most categories, with numerous elite competitors either training or competing overseas. Navjeet Kaur Dhillon won the gold medal in the women's discus throw over four-time Olympian Seema Punia. Navjeet's best throw was 58.03 metres, while Seema took second place with 55.97 metres.
Inderjeet Singh, the 2014 Asian Games bronze medalist in the men's shot put, was beaten by Karanveer Singh, who threw 19.67m. With a 17.99m attempt, Inderjeet came in second. Manpreet Kaur, a Rio 2016 Olympian, won the women's shot-put gold with a 16.81m throw, while Karanveer Singh won the men's gold with a 19.67m effort.
Amiya Mallick, the national 100m champion, had to compromise for bronze in the men's 200m, finishing behind gold medalist Akshay Shetty and silver medalist Aryan Ekka. Srabani Nanda, a Commonwealth Games medalist, took the women's 200m event in 24.04 seconds, while Sanjivani Jadhav, an Asian bronze medalist, won the 5000m.
Lili Das, a middle-distance runner who had just won the 1500m in Cyprus earlier this month, won the 800m gold. Athletes still have a few opportunities to qualify for the world championships and Commonwealth Games. The Indian Grand Prix 4 will take place on May 24 at the same location in Bhubaneswar.