Glasgow, July 30 (IANS) India’s Praveen Chitravel and Selva Thirumaran advanced to the men’s triple jump final at the 2026 Commonwealth Games after negotiating a challenging qualification round on Thursday.
Chitravel produced a best effort of 16.41 metres to finish second in the qualification standings and comfortably secured his place in the medal event. His mark was below the automatic qualification standard of 16.60m, but he progressed as one of the 12 best performers in the field.
Jamaica’s Jordan Scott topped the qualification round with a 16.56m effort, while Thirumaran finished third overall after producing a crucial 16.26m jump with his final attempt.
Thirumaran endured a difficult start to the competition, recording fouls in each of his opening two attempts. With his Commonwealth Games campaign hanging in the balance, the Tamil Nadu jumper responded under pressure with a clean 16.26m effort on his third and final attempt to move into the top 12.
The result gives India two medal contenders in the men’s triple jump final, scheduled for Saturday, August 1.
Chitravel, who has established himself among India’s leading triple jumpers, will enter the final with one of the strongest qualification performances. His 16.41m mark placed him just 15 centimetres behind Scott, while also giving him a useful platform ahead of the medal battle.
The qualification round was decided through a combination of automatic qualification and overall performances, with the 12 leading athletes progressing to the final.
India’s athletics campaign at the Games has already produced strong performances across field events, and Chitravel and Thirumaran will now look to convert their qualification into a podium finish.
India will also have a strong presence in the men’s javelin throw final, with Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, Rohit Yadav and Yash Vir Singh all progressing from Thursday’s qualification round.
Chopra finished fifth with a best throw of 79.61m, while Rohit recorded 78.37m to place ninth and Yash Vir followed in 10th with 78.36m. Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage topped the standings with 82.84m.
The javelin qualification was also affected by strong, swirling winds, with only four athletes crossing the 80m mark and none reaching the direct qualification standard of 84m.
With two triple jumpers and three javelin throwers through to their respective finals, India will have several opportunities to challenge for athletics medals in the latter stages of the Commonwealth Games.
–IANS
sds/bsk/
