Renjith Maheswary to be the only Indian in IAAF Diamond League opener

The Diamond League, virtually the world series in athletics, will have 14 stops this time including Shanghai, Paris and London and will wind up in Brussels in September.

Renjith Maheswary qualified for the Rio Olympics last year with a 17.30-metre jump.

Renjith Maheswary, who stunningly broke the triple jump national record in Bengaluru last July, will be the lone Indian in the IAAF Diamond League’s opening leg in Doha, Qatar, on Friday.

Renjith’s Bengaluru effort of 17.30m, which helped the Chennai-based, Kerala-born Railway athlete to qualify for the Rio Olympics last year, made him the fourth best jumper in the IAAF world list last year behind Americans Christian Taylor, Will Claye and China’s Bin Dong, the three Olympic medallists.

However, the 31-year-old former Asian champion, who is known for his inconsistency in major championships, could not come anywhere close to that mark at the Olympics, finishing 30th overall in the qualifying round with a best of 16.13m. Renjith had skipped the recent three-leg Asian Grand Prix series and the Doha event will be his season opener.

The Diamond League, virtually the world series in athletics, will have 14 stops this time including Shanghai, Paris and London and will wind up in Brussels in September.