Long jump athlete Shaili Singh sets ‘specific goals’ ahead of Paris Olympics 2024
As we are all set for the third Indian Open Jumps Competition in Bengaluru, starting on March 20, Wednesday, all eyes will be on World U20 silver medallist Shaili Singh, who will be one of the star attractions.
Alongside her, Commonwealth Games gold medallist Eldhose Paul, silver medallist Abdulla Aboobacker, and national champion Karthik Unnikrishnan will also be a part of the competition, which is set to be held at the Anju Bobby George Foundation.
With the Paris Olympics all set to happen in July and August, Shaili has 'specific goals' set ahead of the quadrennial event. Her personal coach Robert Bobby George has emphasized the importance of good results to earn a ticket to the Diamond League competitions.
“It is too early to expect outstanding performance but we are hoping for a good result, otherwise it will be a challenging task to earn a ticket to Diamond League competitions,” Shaili’s personal coach, Robert Bobby George stated as quoted by the PTI.
“We have set specific goals for each competition for Shaili Singh,” he added.
Shaili Singh optimistic about qualifying for Summer Games
Shalini recorded her personal best of 6.76m in April 2023 in Bengaluru. Notably, she finished at the fifth rank at the Asian Games with a jump of 6.48.
Interestingly, it’s going to be an uphill task for the young Shaili as the qualification mark for the Summer Games is 6.86m, which is way beyond her personal best. Shaili stated that she is optimistic about doing wonders in Bengaluru.
“This is like a home track for me. I would love to qualify for the Olympics on this track,” Shaili said as quoted by Sportstar.
Alongside Shaili, the women’s long jump event in Bengaluru has attracted eight other competitors including Nayana James of Kerala.
Praveen Chithravel, who set the national record of 17.37m in triple jump in May 2023, will not be a part of the event due to undisclosed reasons. Tamil Nadu’s promising triple jumper Selva Prabhu will compete in the U20 age group, boasting a personal best and a national record of 16.78m, achieved in May 2023.
Additionally, Karnataka’s high jumper Jesse Sandesh and long jumper Muhammed Anees will be among the prominent athletes showcasing their skills in the campaign.