Indian Athletes Shine at Asian Games, Qualify for Long Jump Finals
Murali Sreeshankar and David Patturaj qualify for the long jump finals at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, showcasing impressive performances.
Nagoya, September 27 (Daily Kiran) : Murali Sreeshankar and David Patturaj, representing India, have successfully qualified for the men’s long jump finals at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya. The duo secured their spots on Sunday, joining an elite group of 12 jumpers who will compete for medals.
The finals are set to take place on Monday at the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium in Nagoya City. Sreeshankar, who won a silver medal at the Hangzhou Games, recorded a best jump of 7.84 meters, finishing second in Group B. Patturaj followed closely in Group A, achieving a personal best of 7.62 meters, which placed him third in his group.
Overall, Sreeshankar ranked second in the qualification round, while Patturaj was seventh. The automatic qualification mark was set at 7.90 meters, a height only surpassed by Uzbekistan’s Anvar Anvarov, who leaped 8.00 meters. The remaining 11 qualifiers advanced based on their second-best jumps.
Having previously secured a silver medal, Sreeshankar is now aiming for gold. He made a remarkable comeback from a patellar tendon rupture that sidelined him from the Paris Olympics in 2024. This marks his return to competitive athletics after nearly 650 days, following participation in the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championship 2026. His performance has been commendable, including a silver medal at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in July.
In addition, Indian athletes Vithya Ramraj and Anu Raghavan have also qualified for the women’s 400 meters hurdles final. Ramraj finished second in her heat with a time of 55.73 seconds, while Raghavan recorded a personal best of 55.84 seconds, securing her place in the final. This event is also scheduled for Monday.
Meanwhile, decathlete Tejaswin Shankar has slipped to third place after seven events, accumulating 5,869 points with three events remaining. He trails leader Chen Jinghua by 50 points and Japan’s Yuma Maruyama, who is in second, by 45 points.
Earlier, Indian athletes in the kurash events faced early exits, with Vishal losing 5-0 to Thailand’s Kunathip Ye-On in the men’s +90 kg quarter-finals.
