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Hindustan Times
24-07-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Meet Shivam Lohakare, India's latest 80m thrower
New Delhi: Indian men's javelin, since Neeraj Chopra's gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, has consistently thrown up exciting talent with a sizable number of them breaching the 80m mark. While Shivpal Singh, Rohit Yadav, Manu DP, and Kishore Jena have fallen by the wayside for varying reasons, the new crop — Yashvir Singh and Sachin Yadav — have shown promise. One must add Shivam Lohakare to that list. Javelin thrower Shivam Lohakare became the latest entrant to the 80m club at the Indian Open Athletics Meet in Pune last week. (HT) The 20-year-old became the latest entrant to the 80m club at the Indian Open Athletics Meet in Pune last week. Shivam won the meet with an effort of 80.95m to become only the 16th Indian to throw the spear 80m or beyond. 'It's good to be in that club but I know I can do much better,' he said from Pune where he trains at the Army Sports Institute. Employed as a Havaldar in Mahar Regiment, Shivam took up javelin as a 13-year-old, almost on a whim. 'It just felt right. I liked the way it left my hand,' he said, recalling his first tryst with the spear. Hailing from Sonai village in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar, Shivam was always an avid athlete at school, seamlessly dabbling in long jump, high jump, javelin, kabaddi, and kho kho. The decisive turn towards javelin happened in 2019 when he won a district-level meet with a throw of 45m. 'I competed in the high jump at that meet as well and finished fourth. That was the end of my other pursuits.' Shivam's steady rise through the district and division-level ranks ran the risk of indefinite derailment as Covid struck, but the youngster was determined to make do with his limited means. On one of the days when the lockdown was relaxed, he travelled 50 kilometres to Ahmednagar to buy an aluminum javelin. Next, he strapped his worn-out spikes and took the road less travelled, quite literally. 'There's a thin road leading to the fields in my village that no one visited during the lockdown. I just used it as a runway and practised for hours.' On one of those mad pursuits, he was spotted by two of his seniors from school -- Amol and Hrishikesh -- who trained in Pune's Baburao Sanas Sports Ground under coach Prasant Wagh. Convincing him to leave the comforts of home was not tough, and no sooner did the lockdown ease, Shivam packed his bags and headed for Pune. Next year, in 2022, he competed in the State U-20 meet and caught the attention of coach Kashinath Naik. A renowned ASI coach and a bronze medallist at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Naik was impressed with Shivam's 62m effort and invited him for a trial at ASI. He logged 72m with a 700g javelin and was duly inducted in the army centre, as a civilian. Naik began to iron out his technique and within two months, he started to throw 70m regularly. He was also mentored by Manu DP, another of Naik's trainees. Manu is currently serving a four-year doping ban. 'I never had perfect technique but I was always a quick and eager learner,' said Shivam who would draw interest for his left-handed throws. Late in 2022, Shivam finished second at the Junior Nationals in Guwahati but his success was dampened by an injury to his lower back, sustained just before the competition. 'It was a muscle injury that would heal with load management, but each time I increased the training intensity, it flared up,' he said. A silver at the Junior Asian Championship (72.34m) arrived in 2023 but the youngster was far from satisfied. 'I was hoping to touch 75m there but was held back by the injury,' he rued. The same year, he hit 80m in training. It was a significant step in his nascent journey, but Shivam knew he was meant for bigger distances. 'At the domestic level, a lot of throwers were touching 80m, so it was not a big deal,' Shivam, who claims to have a 85m throw in him should he stay fit, said. It won't be easy. His 90kg, 6ft 1inch frame is already blighted with injuries. After missing much of 2024 to back troubles, Shivam felt a painful jerk in his right ankle — the block ankle — earlier this year that is still bothering him. The injury reared up just ahead of the Pune meet too, leaving him with painful swelling. Unable to jump or throw, he is building his upper body strength under a physiotherapist's supervision. 'It is frustrating. Before this injury, I was throwing between 80-82m in training and was hoping to build on that during competitions. I hope to resume throwing in another 2-3 weeks,' he said, having set his sights on this year's Inter State championships (Aug 20-24). 'If I stay fit, I'll throw 85m there.'
Indian Express
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Sreeshankar Murali wins gold medal in Portugal in his second competition after knee surgery
Indian long jumper Sreeshankar Murali continued his strong comeback trail from knee surgery as he won the title at the Meeting Maia Cidade do Desporto in Maia, Portugal, a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze-level meet on Sunday. He claimed the title with a best jump of 7.75m, which is below his season best of 8.05m. 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 poor mark was due to the unfavourable conditions at the venue with the athletes facing a strong headwind. Responding to a fan on social media, Sreeshankar wrote, 'Never jumped in such terrible cold headwinds in my life.' This is second title in as many outings for the 26-year-old who is returned from his long injury layoff last week at the Indian Open Athletics Meet with a jump of 8.05m. 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. 'Initially, I was a bit anxious about how it would go because I hadn't competed in a while. At the same time I was very calm and composed because I knew I had done it before,' Sreeshankar, a Commonwealth Games and Asian Games silver medallist, told The Indian Express after his return. Interestingly, Sreeshankar's jump at the Indian Open Athletics is the best mark by any Indian long jumper this year. Sreeshankar had a 21-month layoff following a ruptured patellar tendon right before 2024 Paris Olympics, missing the quadrennial event. His injury was different and more severe than the 'jumpers' knee' as his patellar tendon connecting the kneecap to the top of the shin bone had ruptured and a part of the bone had chipped off. 'I was devastated. Just two days back I was aiming for an Olympic medal and then you hear that your career is almost finished,' Sreeshankar recalled the emotions. Sreeshankar was operated at The Aspetar Hospital in Doha, Qatar, where Brazilian football star Neymar underwent an ankle surgery, under Dr Bruno Olory. Following his successful surgery, Sreeshankar started his rehab process at Inspire Institute of Sports in Bellary under the expert supervision and guidance of Samuel A Pulling, Wayne Lombard, and Priyam Singh. He will compete in Qosanov Memorial Athletics Meeting, a World Athletics Continental Tour bronze event, in Almaty on 2nd and 3rd August and then return to India to compete in another WACT bronze event in Bhubaneswar. He will travel to Spain after that to compete in Meeting International C.D. Meliz Sport.
New Indian Express
16-07-2025
- Sport
- New Indian Express
One-day Indian Open Athletics meet extended by a day due to more participants
CHENNAI: In a rare first, the Athletics Federation of India has extended a competition by a day. The AFI in a circular informed all athletes and officials that the Indian Open Athletics meet that was schedule to be held for a day on July 27 has been extended to the next day. The number of participants had reached 900. The AFI has also made it mandatory for athletes to qualify for senior inter-state meet in events organised directly by the AFI. "The Indian Open Athletics Meet which was scheduled to be held at Sangrur on 27th July 2025, will now be held on 27th and 28th July 2025 at Sangrur," said the circular on Wednesday. Sangrur has already held a Indian OPen earlier this year on April 1. "The meet has been extended for one day because of more number of entries crossing almost 900 Athletes. The programme will be shortly put on the AFI website. The Athletes are advised to book their travel and accommodation accordingly." Interestingly, earlier this year there had been lukewarm response by athletes for domestic competition and for Indian Open Athletics. The AFI was forced to bring out a circular making it mandatory for athletes to compete in at least two domestic meet to be eligible to compete in at least two Indian GP or Open athletics to be eligible to compete at Federation cup athletics. Indian Open athletics have been held at Nadiad, Ranchi, Chennai, Bengaluru and Pune. Patna will host the seventh on July 19, before Sangrur hosts the last one on July 27-28. For the National Inter-State Senior Championships to be held in Chennai from August 20 to 24, the AFI has made it mandatory for the athletes to meet the entry standards set by it and achieved in events directly organised by the federation between May 1 and August 10. The athletes are also required to participate in respective state meets organized by recognised units and another event organised by the AFI -- Indian Open Athletics Meeting or Grand Prix.
News18
16-07-2025
- Sport
- News18
Indian Open Athletics Meet Extended By A Day Due To Record Entries
Last Updated: The Indian Open Athletics Meet in Sangrur, Punjab, set for July 27, 2025, will now span two days due to 900 participants. The Indian Open Athletics Meet, originally set for July 27 in Sangrur, Punjab, will now span an extra day due to an unprecedented number of participants, marking a first in the domestic athletics circuit. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) announced that approximately 900 athletes have registered, necessitating the extension of the event to a two-day affair. 'The Indian Open Athletics Meet which was scheduled to be held at Sangrur on 27th July 2025, will now be held on 27th and 28th July 2025. The meet has been extended for one day because of more number of entries crossing almost 900 athletes," the AFI said in a circular. 'The programme will be shortly put on the AFI website. The athletes are advised to book their travel and accommodation accordingly." How Many Events Does AFI Organise? This season, the AFI introduced eight Indian Open Meetings across various regions to provide more competitions for athletes and to enable participation closer to their homes. Sangrur will host the Indian Open Athletics Meet for the second time this season, having previously hosted it on April 1, with around 130 athletes participating. Similar meetings have been held in Nadiad, Gujarat, on April 5, Ranchi on April 10, Chennai on April 15, Bengaluru on June 28, and Pune on July 12. Patna will host the seventh meeting of the year on July 19, before Sangrur hosts the final event on July 27-28. For the National Inter-State Senior Championships in Chennai from August 20 to 24, the AFI requires athletes to meet entry standards set by the federation, achieved in events organised by the federation between May 1 and August 10. Athletes must also participate in their respective state meets organised by recognised units and another event organised by the AFI, either the Indian Open Athletics Meeting or Grand Prix. If the state meet is not organised within this period, athletes must participate and meet qualifying standards in two events organised by the AFI, either the Indian Open Athletics Meet or Grand Prix meets. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
News18
12-07-2025
- Sport
- News18
Long Jumper Murali Sreeshankar Makes Triumphant Return With Gold At Indian Open
Last Updated: Sreeshankar made his comeback at the Indian Open Athletics Meet, winning gold in men's long jump with a leap of 8.05m. This was his first competition since the 2023 Asian Games. The Indian Open Athletics Meet at the Savitribai Phule Pune University Sports Complex on Saturday featured a host of elite athletes, but it was long jumper Murali Sreeshankar who stole the spotlight. Making his highly anticipated return to competitive action after a lengthy injury layoff, India's premier long jumper delivered a powerful statement. Sreeshankar clinched the gold medal in the men's long jump with a leap of 8.05m — the first Indian to cross the 8m mark in the event this year. A Remarkable Comeback Performance Sreeshankar, whose personal best stands at a staggering 8.41m — one of the finest marks in Indian athletics history — showed no signs of rust in his first appearance in nearly two years. Despite a long break from competition, the 25-year-old looked sharp and confident, delivering a top-class performance to mark his return. His gold-winning effort of 8.05m was not only enough to win the event but also signaled that he remains one of India's top medal prospects in track and field. First Competition Since 2023 Asian Games Sreeshankar's last appearance came at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, over 650 days ago. Since then, he had been sidelined by a serious knee injury that required surgery and ultimately forced him to miss the 2024 Paris Olympics — a heartbreaking setback for the talented athlete. Now back in action and pain-free, Sreeshankar has begun building toward what he hopes will be a strong international comeback. With this performance, Sreeshankar has taken his first major step toward qualifying for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. He also has his sights set on the 2026 Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, both of which remain key targets on his calendar. Thanks to the support of India's Mission Olympic Cell (MOC), Sreeshankar will compete in a series of international meets across Europe and Central Asia in the coming weeks. His itinerary includes stops in Portugal, Spain, and Kazakhstan from July 19 to August 14. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has approved a funding grant of ₹5.58 lakh to support this tour, further underlining the backing he continues to receive from Indian athletics authorities. view comments First Published: July 12, 2025, 18:22 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
