Triple jumper Praveen Chithravel hits a new high at National Open Athletics Championships

Praveen Chithravel produced a massive 16.88m jump, improving his personal best by 37cm, in the triple jump event to clinch gold.

Tamil Nadu's Praveen Chithravel in action during the men's triple jump event at the National Open Athletics Championship in Warangal on Sunday.

Praveen Chithravel is very promising but he is also one of the most inconsistent triple jumpers in the national circuit. And injuries have often troubled him.

But everything came together nicely for the 20-year-old from Tamil Nadu on the final day of the 60th National Open at the Nehru Stadium here on Sunday. The youngster produced a massive 16.88m, which bettered his personal best by 37cm, in his opener for the gold.

That made him the third best Indian ever after Renjith Maheswary (17.30) and Arpinder Singh (17.17) and his series had three jumps over 16.70.

Services' Abdulla Aboobacker (16.84, new PB) and Karthik Unnikrishnan (16.80, equalled PB) took silver and bronze. This is probably the first time three triple jumpers were touching 16.80m or more at Nationals.

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“I've not changed anything, everything is the same, only I've become stronger mentally and more confident,” Praveen, who trains at JSW's Inspire Institute of Sport in Vijayanagar, told Sportstar .

“I've had a lot of injuries earlier, hamstring at the 2019 Asians and then ankle pain. But I felt good and I think I can do 17m next year.”

“The weight training we had been doing has helped, power has increased and his technique combination is getting better, if he gets a little more control, he can do very well,” said Bala Chaitanya, the IIS coach who has been guiding Praveen the last few months.

Meanwhile Asian Games champion Arpinder Singh, making a comeback from last year's knee injury, could manage only 15.91 for sixth. “My knee still hurts,” he said.

Later, Assam sprinter Amlan Borgohain clocked a stunning 20.75s – the second fastest time on Indian soil – for the men’s 200m gold in a new meet record time. And Rajasthan's Manju Bala, former Asian Games medallist, won the hammer throw in a meet record 64.42m, the second best by an Indian, behind Sarita Romit Singh’s 65.25m.

Railways won the overall title and women's team championship while Services took the men's team title.