Triple jumper Praveen Chithravel targets 2026 CWG gold

Vijayanagar (Karnataka), Jan 24 (PTI) National record holder and Asian Games bronze medallist triple jumper Praveen Chithravel has set the target of winning gold in the Commonwealth Games to be held in Scotland next year.

He is also looking to re-write his own national record of 17.37m this season itself.

The 23-year-old Chithravel finished fourth in the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games with an effort of 16.89m, while compatriots Eldhose Paul (17.03m) and Abdulla Aboobacker (17.02m) won gold and silver respectively.

Bermuda’s Jah-Nhai Perinchief (16.92m) won the bronze.

“I’m fighting to achieve more, like the Olympics, World Championship, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, everything. I had the medal in Asian Games, I lost the medal by 2cm (3cm) in the Commonwealth Games,” Chithravel, who is currently training at the Inspire Institute of Sports (IIS) here, told ‘PTI-Bhasha’ in an exclusive interview.

“I have an Asian Indoor Championships medal, a Youth Olympics medal. Yes, in the 2026 Asian Games (Aichi-Nagoya in Japan), I’m sure I’ll get a medal, but I want a gold medal in Commonwealth Games (in 2026). Of course, because of Commonwealth Games, I can’t sleep properly,” he said.

The 2026 Commonwealth Games will be held in Glasgow from July 23 to August 2.

Chithravel has set the national record at a competition in Havana, Cuba in 2023.

“My PB is 17.37, it’s a national record, so I want to break the national record again. I did it in 2023, so I want to break the national record again in 2025.

“This year we have the World Indoor Championship, and Asian Championship, and World Championship, and then I’m focusing on Diamond Leagues,” said Chithravel who won bronze in the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023 with a jump of 16.68m.

The Tamil Nadu triple jumper said it was not a difficult decision for him to decide to join sports as many family members were into it.

“My family has been in sports, my uncle, my dad, they were playing Kabaddi. So you know, study is not like I’m perfect, but the sports, I feel like more comfortable,” he said.

“I was playing Kabaddi before, and then my father said you can play individually when it’s good for you. The team game is, it’s not like every person comes with you every time. So individually you can make yourself only.”

He said there was a lack of infrastructure initially but after getting results, he started getting good facilities.

“No, in my village, we don’t have any facilities, I was doing Zonals, districts, in my state.

“Then I got a hostel in Chennai, when I was in seventh standard, like 10 years old, 11 years old, I got the hostel, then I got the facilities,” said the athlete from Thanjavur district.