Triple jumper Praveen Chithravel is fed up with his narrow misses in big events and is determined to prove himself at elite international competitions.<\/p>\n
Praveen, whose National record stands at 17.37m, missed out on a medal in the 2022 Commonwealth Games and finished fourth (16.89m) whereas two other Indians, Eldhose Paul (17.03m) and Abdulla Aboobacker (17.02m), claimed gold and silver respectively.<\/p>\n
At the 2025 Tokyo World Championships, Praveen managed the eighth spot (16.74m) in Group-B whereas seventh-placed Chinese Yaming Zhu (16.83m) qualified for the final.<\/p>\n
All this rankles the Indian, who has crossed 17m five times in the last four years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI lost a CWG medal by three cm. I\u2019m impatient (to amend that)… last year, in the World Championships, something unexpected happened. My first jump was more than 17.10m, but it was a foul. In the second jump, I pulled my calf (muscle). In the third jump, I did (16.74m) and didn\u2019t qualify for the final,\u201d said the stylish Praveen after breaching the CWG qualification mark with 17.08m here.<\/p>\n
\u201cThankfully, there is zero pain. Everything is going well. I\u2019m following the process and I\u2019m ready to go for a medal (at the CWG).<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my first competition of the season, the Indian Open Jumps event, I did 16.78m. Then at the Indian Athletics Series in Chennai, I did 16.95m. Now, I did 17.08m. In India, everyone breaks National records. I don\u2019t want to break the National record here. I\u2019m waiting for a good moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know I\u2019m one of the best athletes in the world. In big events, I want to fight with all the (top) athletes. I want to show who I am, (someone) from India,\u201d said Praveen, who will turn 25 soon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n