Malayali long jumper Sreeshankar books World Championships berth

Ace long jumper M Sreeshankar on Sunday qualified for this year's World Athletics Championships with a leap of 8.41m at the ongoing National Inter-State Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

For Sreeshankar, who recently won a bronze at the Paris Diamond League, this was his personal best. His previous best was 8.36m, which he logged last year.

The latest effort also bettered his medal-winning leap in Paris (8.09m).

The 24-year-old Malayali jumper registered his best attempt of 8.41m, way better than the World qualification mark of 8.25m, in the very first try of the qualification round. The upcoming 2023 World Athletics Championships will be held in Budapest.

Incidentally, the Palakkad lad also went past the last Asian Games qualification mark of 7.95m.

India's national record in men's long jump belongs to Jeswin Aldrin, who hit 8.42m earlier this year.

Sreeshankar also became only the second Indian to breach the 8.4m mark in long jump.