CHENNAI: Despite a strong return last year, 2022 Commonwealth Games medallist Abdulla Aboobacker could not round it off the way he wanted. At the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Aboobacker missed out on qualifying to the finals of men's triple jump from the heats.
His best mark was at 16.33 metres, while the qualifying mark was 17.10m.
Now, ahead of a crucial year, Aboobacker could not have asked for a better start. The 29-year-old from Kerala began the season with two medal-winning performances. He began with a 16.83m leap at the Indian Open Jumps competition at Anju Bobby George High Performance centre in Bengaluru. He followed with a 16.82m jump at the Indian Open Athletics series — 1. Both those marks earned him gold. The 29-year-old from Palakkad said he wa saving his best for the big events this season. “I only did three jumps in both the competitions. “I hope to give my best in the National Senior Athletics Federation Competition (in Ranchi next month), followed by the big events – Commonwealth Games (in Glasgow) and the Asian Games (in Aichi Nagoya, Japan),” he told this daily in a virtual interaction on Tuesday.
Aboobacker felt that those jumps are also part of him getting to optimal shape. "After Tokyo, I have been recovering and working on my strength at the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) with strength and conditioning coach Spencer Mackay and physiotherapist Aswin S. Then, in December last year, I moved to the Air Force facility in Bengaluru, and I have been in constant touch with them to help me out. That is why I have been jumping below the 17-metre mark,” he explained.
He said he banks on his experience to keep himself confident ahead of a tough season. “To help myself be motivated, I look back on the last few years — 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 and the failures I had. Then, I was mentally down. To come back up, I spent a lot of time alone, thinking about what happened and how it happened. Because of those experiences, I am mentally stable and prepared.” he said.
Spending time with family has also helped him stay motivated. “Post Tokyo, I took a break, spent time with my family, and got involved in other sports for recreational purposes. I am trying to go with the flow,” he added.
While his start might have gotten him high on confidence, he will expect some tough fights going forward. In addition to current national record holder Praveen Chithravel continuing to impress, Selva Prabhu — who cracked the national indoor record with a leap of 17.05 in the NCAA’s Indoor Track and Field Championship in the USA last month — will also be another name to watch out for. For Aboobacker, performances like these are welcome and will further help Indian triple-jumpers in the long run. “Right now, there are two triple jumpers. We are going to every world championship and two of them went to the Olympics. If another guy comes in and competes, then our performances will also get better. That way, the rankings will also get better. Say, only one athlete jumps around 17 metres, they would not get motivated. Now Selva has done that (indoors) and he will now try to do the same (outdoors). I think Selva and Praveen will have a good competition in the Fed Cup. Praveen has good form,” he explained.
