Bengaluru, April 4 (IANS) Murali Sreeshankar opened his season in impressive fashion by winning the men’s long jump at the inaugural edition of the Indian Athletics Series 2026 in Bengaluru on Saturday.

Competing at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, the 27-year-old produced his best jump on the fourth attempt and emerged as the only athlete in the field to cross both the 8.00m mark and the Asian Games qualifying standard of 7.91m.

Sreeshankar delivered a remarkably consistent series throughout the competition, clearing the qualifying benchmark in all six attempts. His sequence of jumps read 8.03m, 7.99m, 8.13m, 8.15m, 8.12m, and 8.10m.

The performance marked a strong return to competition for the Indian long jumper, who was appearing in his first event since the World Athletics Championships 2025 held in September last year.

His winning mark of 8.15m also surpassed his 2025 season-best effort of 8.13m. Sreeshankar’s personal best stands at 8.41m, while the Indian national record of 8.42m is held by Jeswin Aldrin.

Despite surpassing the Athletics Federation of India’s qualification standard, the jump alone does not automatically confirm his place in the country’s squad for the Asian Games. Under the selection guidelines set by the Athletics Federation of India, athletes must compete in at least three domestic competitions, with participation in state championships being mandatory.

In the men’s triple jump, former Asian champion Abdulla Aboobacker secured first place with a leap of 16.82m. National record holder Praveen Chithravel did not compete in the event.

Meanwhile, Sarvesh Kushare, who represented India at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, won the men’s high jump with a clearance of 2.23m.

The Bengaluru meet marked the opening leg of the 16-event Indian Athletics Series launched by the Athletics Federation of India this year, with the one-day competition featuring finals across multiple track and field disciplines.

Among the other standout performances, Baranica Elangovan impressed in the women’s pole vault, while Ancy Sojan narrowly defeated Shaili Singh by just two centimetres to claim the women’s long jump title.

In the men’s javelin throw, Bibin Antony emerged victorious with a best throw of 77.53m.

The series will continue with its next meet in Udaipur on Sunday, before moving to Sangrur and Ranchi for the following rounds next weekend.

--IANS

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