Triple Jumper Praveen Chithravel placed sixth at the Monaco Diamond League


Triple Jumper Praveen Chithravel finished sixth in his event at the Monaco Diamond League athletics meet in the French principality.

On his Diamond League debut, the 22-year-old Indian registered his best jump on his fifth and final effort. His other jumps measured 15.69m, 16.44m, 16.54m and 16.32m.

It was the first time in four outdoor meets this year that Praveen failed to cross the 17m mark. The Indian was returning to competition after an injury that had sidelined him for nearly a month.

He holds the triple jump national record at 17.37m attained in Cuba in May which met the qualifying standard for the World Athletics Championships to be held in August in Budapest, Hungary.

Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist and two-time world championships medal winner Hugues Fabrice Zango of Burkina Faso won the triple jump event with an effort of 17.70m.

The result in Monaco also earned Praveen Chithravel three qualification ranking points for the Diamond League Final 2023. He is now 12th in the standings, ahead of compatriot Abdulla Aboobacker, who competed at the Florence Diamond League.

The competition in Monaco, also called the Herculis EBS, was the ninth leg of the Diamond League 2023 season. The series will wrap up with the two-day final in Eugene, the USA on September 16 and 17.

Praveen was slated to compete at the Florence Diamond League but had to pull out due to injury. Now, only the Shenzhen Diamond League in September features the triple jump.

Athletes are awarded points instead of medals for competing in each leg of the Diamond League series. The top eight athletes in each event at the end of all the legs will qualify for the Diamond League Final, where they will compete for the trophy.