After a not so encouraging 2024 season, the CWG silver medallist says is on the right path to excel at international level this season.
After tackling on and off the field issues in the 2024 season that robbed 29 years old Indian Air Force triple jumper from Kerala, Abdulla Aboobacker, a place in the medal round at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, he has emerged stronger and healthy this season.
The Indian triple jumper, the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games silver medallist, finished 13 overall in the field at the Paris Olympic Games. As a rule, only top 12 athletes contest for the medal round in the men’s triple jump at the Olympic Games. Aboobacker’s best performance in Paris was 16.49m. His personal best of 17.19m was recorded in 2022.
“I’m enjoying good health and hope to perform better this season that features Asian Athletics Championships in May and World Athletics Championships in September,” the Indian Air Force jumper said after winning gold with a distance of 17.19m on Saturday in Bengaluru.
Saturday’s performance of 17.19m, a season best, at the one-day fourth edition of the Indian Open Jumps Competition in Bengaluru has given a big boost to his confidence. “I was very close to the World Athletics Championships automatic entry standard of 17.22m,” he added. “Hopefully I should be able to achieve my goal in the next competition in April in Kerala.”
Despite having two legal jumps out of six attempts during Saturday’s competition, Aboobacker expressed his satisfaction saying he was on the right path. “It was a good start to the season as I’ve crossed the 17m mark,” he said after the event.
It was a shaky start on his way to the gold medal. His opening jump was 16.64m. The next four attempts were no marks. However, he got his rhythm right in the last and final jump to record 17.19m, which earned him a gold medal.
Aboobacker has his eyes firmly on next month’s Senior Federation Cup Athletics Meet in Kochi, Kerala starting from April 21. “I should be able to cross 17.22m in Kerala,” he said with an air of confidence.
For a back-up he has planned a competition in Japan. “It will be another good competition to go beyond 17.22m to win a ticket to the September 13 to 21 Tokyo World Athletics Championships in Japan,” he explained.
The triple jumper wasn’t able to showcase his potential during the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, USA. He didn’t qualify for the medal round. However, during a domestic meet in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, he recorded a jump of 17.19m, a personal and season best.
Aboobacker bounced back later in the season to win silver later at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
He also won gold at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok, Thailand, but finished fourth at the delayed 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games held in 2023 in China.
Since the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has decentralised national camps, Aboobacker is training at Indian Air Force base in Bengaluru. “My preparation for the upcoming international competitions is going well. I’ve no plans to go on an international exposure tour right now. But I will surely go to compete to polish my skills for the World Championships in September,” he said.
