KOCHI: There is something exciting brewing in the long jump event these days. A fledgling rivalry, the kind which could push the discipline to new frontiers.
It all started when 20-year-old Jeswin Aldrin announced that he was looking to break Murali Sreeshankar's national record after a stellar show at the Indian Grand Prix-1 last month where he crossed the 8-metre barrier thrice - with his best being 8.20m.
The record at that time belonged to Sreeshankar after he had produced a jump of 8.26m at the Federation Cup in Patiala last year which had helped him qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.
In recent years, Sreeshankar has been the poster boy in the long jump discipline as the 23-year-old has been the undisputed and even unchallenged star in the event among Indian athletes. To challenge the country's top dog required some confidence, but the Tamil Nadu athlete is starting to deliver in spades.
If Sreeshankar and Jeswin started the season in fine form, Muhammed Anees Yahiya was another jumper who had breached the 8-metre mark this season. And the Federation Cup was the first time this season that these three were going to face-off in what was one of the biggest draws of the meet.
If Sunday's long jump final is anything to go by, the likes of Jeswin and Sreeshankar could push each other to new heights in the years to come.
While Sreeshankar ended up re-writing his own national record with an 8.36m effort, all of Jeswin's jumps barring a fault on his fifth jump, saw him cross the eight-metre mark with the best being 8.37m.
Since the wind reading for his personal best jump was +4.1m/s, it wasn't ratified for the national record but such was his consistency that he pushed Sreeshankar all the way.
"I can only perform when I'm pushed by others and it was not about feeling the pressure, but I guess I showed what I can do on my day. I just want to give my best every time I compete. Both Jeswin and Anees (Muhammed Anees Yahiya) pushed me and I guess that bodes well for the sport. It is just about giving your best when called upon," said Sreeshankar after his exploits.
Sreeshankar's record-breaking jump also helped him qualify for the World Championships alongside Jeswin whose 8.26m jump with his fourth attempt helped him make the cut.
With Sreeshankar still only 23 and Jeswin at 20, these two could forge a rivalry that could bring the best out of each other in the years to come, especially in such a big year with the World Championships, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games set to be held this year.
While the duo were the showstoppers on day two of the event, Anees also managed to produce a jump of 8.06m on what was a rare occasion where three jumpers produced such impressive performances. Anees finished third behind Jeswin (first) and Sreeshankar (second).
After the classic that they produced at the CH Muhammad Koya Stadium in Calicut on Sunday, it could be the sign of things to come.
"I was not at my best and hopefully I can continue to keep getting better," Sreeshankar stated.
Neither would want to play second fiddle and Sreshankar came up with the goods after being challenged by Jeswin. The two have kickstarted a battle to be the country's top long jump star.