Both Malayalis make tame exits as triple jumper Aboobacker fails to qualify for final

Indian triple jumper Abdulla Aboobacker, the second Malayali in the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, exited in the qualification round.

Aboobacker produced a disappointing 16.33 metres on Wednesday, finishing outside the top 12 qualifiers for the final.

Long jumper M Sreeshankar, the other Kerala athlete in the Indian contingent in Tokyo, had failed to qualify for the finals earlier this week. Sreeshankar's best effort of 7.78 metres was not enough to land him a place in the final.

In the men's triple jump, a place in the final was guaranteed for those who either cleared the automatic qualification mark of 17.10 metres or finished in the top 12. China's Yaming Zhu qualified as the 12th man with an effort of 16.83 metre.

Aboobacker, who claimed silver in the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, has a personal best of 17.19 metre. Aboobacker had matched his personal best in March this year in Bengaluru. However, he could not produce another 17-plus jump when it mattered.

India's national record-holder Praveen Chithravel, whose personal best is 17.37 metre, finished 15th in qualification with a modest jump of 16.74 metre.