Watch: Long jumper Sreeshankar wins title at Greece meet

Long jumper Murali Sreeshankar produced a season’s best effort of 8.18m to land the title at the International Jumping Meeting in Kallithea, Greece – a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze event. Jeswin Aldrin, the other Indian in the fray with a personal best of 8.42m, came second despite a modest effort of 7.85m.

Commonwealth Games silver medallist Sreeshankar was a picture of consistency with five jumps over 8 metres. He took the lead with a first attempt of 7.94m and then had a series of 8.17m, 8.11m, 8.04m and 8.01 before achieving his best of 8.18m.

This was Sreeshankar’s third event of the season. He jumped 7.94m at the Indian GP and had a wind-aided 8.29m in Chula Vista, California, last month. Sreeshankar has been training at the Texas Tech University in Lubbock since April with its horizontal jumps coach Keith Herston guiding him alongside the jumper’s father and coach, S Muraleedharan.

Aldrin had a great start to the season, breaking Sreeshankar's (8.36m) national mark with a 8.42m in the Indian Open Jumps competition in March. on Wednesday, however, he struggled to touch 8m. His series was 7.81m, 7.85m, 7.74m, 7.74m and 7.79m. Before this he had recorded 8.06m in a meet in Cuba.

The qualifying standard for the August World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August is 8.25m. Aldrin has already achieved the norm by distance.

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