New Delhi, July 20: Star Indian long jumper Murali Sreeshankar clinched the title with a leap of 7.75m at the Meeting Maia Cidade do Desporto in Maia, Portugal, a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze-level meet.
The Asian Games silver medallist registered his best effort in the second round on Saturday night.
Sreeshankar opened with a 7.63m jump, followed it up with his winning leap of 7.75m in the second round, and then recorded a solid 7.69m. His third attempt was a foul, while his final two jumps were measured at 6.12m and 7.58m.
Poland’s Piotr Tarkowski matched Sreeshankar’s 7.75m effort but his second best jump — 7.58m — was less than the Indian’s 7.69m.
According to the World Athletics rules if two competitors tie, their second longest legal jump is used as a tie-breaker.
The meet marks the 26-year-old’s second outing since returning from a long injury layoff following knee surgery. He had announced his comeback with a solid 8.05m win at the Indian Open Athletics Meet earlier this month.
Sreeshankar will be aiming to qualify for the World Championships in Tokyo in September for which the direct qualifying distance is 8.27m.
The Commonwealth Games silver medallist will be competing in Europe and Central Asia till August 14 for which the government has approved Rs 5.58 lakh.
In 2023, the Kerala athlete had become only the third Indian to finish in the top three in a Diamond League Meeting — after Vikas Gowda and Neeraj Chopra — with a third-place finish in Paris, but his Olympics hopes went up in smoke after an injury early in the 2024 season. (PTI)
