2021 Tokyo Olympics | Murali Sreeshankar qualifies for Tokyo Games with national record
Murali Sreeshankar created a new national record with his 8.26m jump
|AFI
Indian long jumper Murali Sreeshankar has qualified for the Tokyo Olympics after setting a national record and also breaching the Games cut-off during the ongoing Federation Cup, on Tuesday. Dhana Lakshmi claimed top-honours in the womenâs 100m event edging past favourites Hima Das and Dutee Chand.
Many of Indiaâs top-athletes are aiming to earn berths for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics at the ongoing Federation Cup Senior National Athletics Championships, in Patiala. It was Indiaâs ace long-jumper Murali Sreeshankar who made the headlines this Tuesday by making the cut to the Games with a brilliant display.
Not only did the 21-year old created a new national record with the last jump of 8.26m, but also breached the 2021 Tokyo Olympics qualification mark, which was set at 8.22m. Sreeshankarâs previous best was 8.20m.
âSreeshankar qualifies for Olympics! #TOPSAthlete long jumper #Sreeshankar has qualified for #Tokyo2020 with a national record jump of 8.26m at the Federation Cup. He surpassed his own record of 8.20m and the Olympic qualifying mark of 8.22m. #GemsofSAI #JeetengeOlympics," read a Tweet from SAI (Sports Authority of India) media.
Meanwhile, in the womenâs 100m event, Tamil Naduâs Dhana Lakshmi edged past favourites Dutee Chand and Hima Das to claim the Gold medal with a timing of 11.39 seconds. Odisha-based athlete Dutee Chand followed in the second position, clocking 11.58 seconds, while Assamâs Hima Das was disqualified for a false start. The Olympic qualification mark for the event was 11.15 seconds, with no-one managing to match it up.
