Latest news with #PraveenChithravel
New Indian Express
28-05-2025
- Sport
- New Indian Express
Chithravel silver in rain; gold in 4x400m mixed relay for India
CHENNAI: It was quite an eventful day in Gumi, not just for the Indian athletes who had some commendable outings but also the conditions. It rained and rained, literally during the Asian Athletics Championships on Wednesday. Suddenly the conditions turned hostile and the torrential downpour forced athletes off the track, something not always seen during athletics. Yet India managed a handful of good shows on the track as well as on the field. Praveen Chithravel felt the vagaries of nature to finish second while Tejaswin Shankar missed out on gold by a whisker. Rupal Chaudhury finished second in 400m while the mixed relay team (Santhosh KT, Rupa Chaudhary, Vishal TK, Subha Venkatesan) won gold, the second for the country. The rain did affect a few of the events as well. One athlete who had to stop his vocation midway was Chithravel who ended with a silver in triple jump. He along with his teammate Abdullah Abubakar were midway into their competition when the event was halted due to rain. Because of Chithravel's recent record, he managed 17.37m national record-equalling feat at the Federation Athletics Championships, he was one of the favourites to win gold along with Abubaker. However, Chithravel could jump 16.90 metres and could not overtake China's Zhu Yaming (17.06m). The 17.37m jump in Kochi has already earned him a spot at the World Athletics Championship in Tokyo. Yet he wanted to improve at Gumi. Chithravel explained during an online press interaction about the challenging conditions. He said that he was getting warmed up and his third jump was the best in the series and was looking to better that. However, because of the heavy rain he could not get back his rhythm. 'The local weather conditions were good at the start but then it rained and became challenging to keep the body warmed up,' Chithravel said. He said that it takes time to get warmed up after a break of 40-45 minutes.
The Hindu
28-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Asian Athletics Championships 2025, Medals Tally: India placed third with two golds after day two
India slipped from second to third on the second day of the Asian Athletics Championships medal tally in Gumi, Korea. The country's second gold medal of the competition came in the 4x400m mixed relay while Tejaswin Shankar (Decathlon), Praveen Chithravel (Men's Triple Jump), Rupal Chaudhary (Women's 400m) and Pooja (Women's 1500m) grabbed silver medals. Yoonus Shah won a bronze in men's 1500m. China leads with 13 medals (10 gold), followed by Japan, India and others. The event ends on May 31. Here's the top five breakdown after day two: Rank Country Gold Silver Bronze Total 1 China 10 3 0 13 2 Japan 3 5 5 13 3 India 2 4 2 8 4 Qatar 1 0 0 1 5 Korea 0 1 2 3 Related Topics Asian Athletics Championships
The Hindu
25-04-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Praveen Chithravel ready to surprise with a bigger jump after equalling his own National Record
Two years ago, when triple jumper Praveen Chithravel broke the National Record with a stunning 17.37m in Cuba, many had wondered how genuine it was. Was he tested in Havana, was the question that often popped up. A year later, the Tamil Nadu athlete could only manage a weak 16.25m at the Paris Olympics, failing to qualify for the final and finishing 27th overall. Not many were surprised, for Chithravel has been one of the country's most inconsistent athletes. That had put him under a lot of pressure. He wanted to prove the world wrong. This year, the 23-year-old is trying to add some consistency in his act even while chasing the big jumps. After a 17.13m effort at last month's Indian Open Jumps in Bengaluru, the Asian Games bronze medallist equalled his National Record at the Federation Nationals here on Thursday. That also helped him qualify for this September's World Championships in Tokyo. ALSO READ | Now India's fastest in 200m, Animesh Kujur aims for sub-20 So, what is Chithravel capable of doing this year? 'There will be a big surprise for everybody from me. But I won't tell you how far I can jump this year, that will be the surprise… I'm just praying that I stay injury-free. The focus this year is on the Worlds,' said Chithravel, now third in this year's world list, in a chat with Sportstar. Cuban Yoandri Betanzos, a former two-time Worlds silver medallist who coaches Chithravel at the JSW's IIS Bellary centre, threw some light on the coming 'surprise'. 'This year, my plan for him is 17.50m. He will be doing that at the Inter-State Nationals (Chennai, August) and the Worlds,' said Betanzos. Where has Chithravel improved? 'Here,' said the Cuban, pointing to the head. 'He has power, speed and technique. Only, I need to talk to him more psychologically to improve him. He jumped only 70 per cent here.' With Kerala-born Asian champion Abdulla Aboobacker also in 17m form this year, triple jump is set for some exciting days.
The Hindu
25-04-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Chithravel capable of jumping 17.50m this year, says coach Betanzos
Two years ago, when triple jumper Praveen Chithravel broke the National record with a stunning 17.37m in Cuba, many had wondered how genuine it was. Was he tested in Havana, was the question that often popped up? A year later, the Tamil Nadu athlete could only manage a weak 16.25m at the Paris Olympics, failing to qualify for the final and finishing 27th overall. Not many were surprised, for Chithravel has been one of the country's most inconsistent athletes. That had put him under a lot of pressure. He wanted to prove the world wrong. This year, the 23-year-old is trying to add some consistency to his act even while chasing the big jumps. After a 17.13m effort at last month's Bengaluru Jumps Indian Open, the Asian Games bronze medallist stunningly equalled his National record at the Federation Nationals here on Thursday. That also helped him qualify for this September's World Championships in Tokyo. So what is Chithravel capable of doing this year? 'There will be a big surprise for everybody from me. But I won't tell you how far I can jump this year, that will be the surprise… I'm just praying that I stay injury-free. The focus this year is on the Worlds,' said Chithravel, now third in this year's world list, in a chat with The Hindu. Cuban Yoandri Betanzos, a former two-time Worlds silver medallist who coaches Chithravel at the JSW's IIS Ballari centre, threw some light on the coming 'surprise'. 'This year, my plan for him is 17.50m. He will be doing that at the Inter-State Nationals (Chennai, August) and the Worlds,' said Betanzos. Where has Chithravel improved? 'Here,' said the Cuban, pointing to the head. 'He has power, speed, and technique. Only, I need to talk to him more and more psychologically to improve him. He jumped only 70% here.' With Asian champion Abdulla Aboobacker also in 17m form this year, triple jump is set for some exciting days.
Indian Express
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Federation Cup athletics: Triple jumper Praveen Chithravel equals own national record to qualify for World Championships
Praveen Chithravel, in only the third round of the competition, equalled his own national record in the triple jump and called it a day at the Federation Cup Senior Athletics Championships. His celebration was noteworthy. Upon landing, he was sure it was a big leap. He jumped back up and raised both hands and flung a bit of mud in exultation. Then he sought out his coach Yoandri Betanzos, a two-time Worlds silver medallist, and they high-fived. As officials measured the distance, the question was whether it would be a national record. When the jump was recorded at 17.37 metres, Chithravel was overjoyed. He thumped his chest with one hand. More celebrations. He also went past the World Championship Qualifying Standard of 17.22m on Thursday. On the back of his chest number, Chithravel had scribbled '17.20+… for my coach Yoandri'. He posed for pictures holding the piece of paper in front of him. The coach sets targets for him before each competition. At the Federation Cup, 17.20m was the aim. Chithravel had broken the national record two years ago in Havana. He has been registering 17m-plus jumps every year since 2022. However, last year there was a setback when he failed to qualify for the final at the Paris Olympics. 'The preparations for the Olympics were good but it was the first time I faced so much pressure in my life. The Commonwealth Games and Asian Games are fine, but the Olympics are totally different,' Chithravel said. The JSW athlete takes pride in being a 17 metre-plus jumper. 'Someone had to do 17m jumps in India. In India, there are only two people doing 17m jumps… When I go to competitions around the world, people are always jumping more than 17 metres. So I push myself and my competitor Abdulla Aboobacker (silver medallist on Thursday),' Chithravel said. Aboobacker, jumping 16.99m for the silver medal, will join Chithravel at the Asian Championships next month. (LEFT) Praveen Chithravel after equalling his own national record in the triple jump; (RIGHT) the triple jumper shows the message he received from Neeraj Chopra. Keeping his powder dry On Thursday, Chithravel didn't want to over-exert so he skipped the last three rounds. In fact, he had hoped to clinch the gold in two jumps. 'I don't want too much impact here so I protected myself because of my ankle. I want to jump at the Asian Championships and World Championships. On my first two jumps, I didn't get to the board properly but the third jump was perfect. I felt it was a national record. I am really happy because I want to push 17.30 so then one day I can jump 17:50,' he said. Coach Betanzos said that he has spoken to Chithravel about being mentally strong. 'He needs a little more time. He is good, explosiveness is good, technique is good but mentally he was not prepared for high-level competitions. You need to be mentally ready for the Olympics and World Championships,' the Cuban said. The coach also wants improvements in Chithravel's running approach. Other than equalling his national record, Chithravel had more reasons to smile when he got a congratulatory WhatsApp message from javelin world champion and Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Neeraj Chopra. 'Neeraj bro always messages me. Whether I lose a competition or win, whenever I see his messages, I am happy. Whenever I meet him, I always ask a lot of questions. Like how he handles the crowd and pressure,' he added.
