Kerala’s Nayana James recorded a personal best mark, leaping 6.67m to secure the women’s long jump gold at the 3rd Indian Open Jumps Competition held at the Anju Bobby George Foundation here on Wednesday.
On a day when no athlete threatened the 2024 Paris Olympics qualification mark, the 28-year-old’s effort stood out, coming nearly seven years after her previous best of 6.55m.
Nayana’s best jump came off her second attempt, leaving the fancied Shaili Singh with a mountain to climb. The 20-year-old struggled with her rhythm and could only manage 6.40m.
Nayana’s distance was 16cms off Anju Bobby George’s National record and 19cms behind the Paris mark. But National jumps coach Denis Kapustin, who had a trackside view to the proceedings, termed it the “best jumps result” in recent times.
Another athlete to reach a personal high was Tamil Nadu’s 22-year-old Pavithra Venkatesh in women’s pole vault as she scaled 4.15m. It was a sweet result for the 2023 Asian indoor silver medallist, who couldn’t travel to Tehran last month for the 2024 edition as she couldn’t carry her poles via cargo.
“I was happy to get my PB,” Pavithra said. “I went for the National record (4.21m) but couldn’t reach it. But overall I am happy, especially after what happened recently [Tehran fiasco].”
Statemate M. Gowtham scaled 5.10m in the men’s competition — 30cm better than his hitherto best — to emerge first.
In men’s triple jump, Commonwealth Games silver medallist Abdulla Aboobacker took gold (16.76m) ahead of CWG gold medallist Eldhose Paul (16.45) and Tamil Nadu’s Selva Prabhu (16.32).
The results: Men: High jump: 1. Jesse Sandesh (Kar) 2.20m, 2. Aadarsh Ram (TN) 2.10, 3. Swadhin Kumar Majhi (Odi) 2.10; Long jump: 1. Muhammed Anees Yahiya (Ker) 7.94m, 2. Aditya Kumar Singh (MP) 7.78, 3. Vishnu Siva Sankar (Del) 7.50; Triple jump: 1. Abdulla Aboobacker (Ker) 16.76m, 2. Eldhose Paul (Ker) 16.45, 3. Selva Prabhu (TN) 16.32; Pole vault: 1. M. Gowtham (TN), 5.10m, 2. G. Reegan (TN) 5.00, 3. Shekhar Kumar Pandey (UP) 4.90.
Women: High jump: 1. Athira Somaraj (Ker) 1.76m, 2. Kevinaa Ashwine Annavi (TN) 1.74, 3. Khushi (Har) 1.68; Long jump: 1. Nayana James (Ker) 6.67m, 2. Shaili Singh (UP) 6.40, 3. Susmita (Raj) 6.28; Triple jump: 1. Poorva Hitesh Sawant (Mah) 13.31m, 2. Sharvari Avinash Parule (Mah) 13.31, 3. N.V. Sheena (Ker) 13.18; Pole vault: 1. Pavithra Venkatesh (TN) 4.15m, 2. Mariya Jaison (Ker) 3.80, 3. G. Sindhushree (Kar) 3.80.
