Determined: Praveen, who missed out on a medal in the 2022 event, is eager to prove his mettle.
| Photo Credit: RITU RAJ KONWAR
Triple jumper Praveen Chithravel is fed up with his narrow misses in big events and is determined to prove himself at elite international competitions.
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.
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.
All this rankles the Indian, who has crossed 17m five times in the last four years.
“I lost a CWG medal by three cm. I’m 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’t qualify for the final,” said the stylish Praveen after breaching the CWG qualification mark with 17.08m here.
“Thankfully, there is zero pain. Everything is going well. I’m following the process and I’m ready to go for a medal (at the CWG).
“In 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’t want to break the National record here. I’m waiting for a good moment.
“I know I’m 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,” said Praveen, who will turn 25 soon.
Published – May 26, 2026 06:14 pm IST