The World Athletics Championships 2023 will be held in Budapest from August 19 to 27.
With 70 athletes jumping over 8m and nearly 40 jumping over 8.10m this season, the long jump has become a very difficult and unpredictable event that is open to all athletes. The following are the top three contenders for the gold medal.
Jeswin Aldrin (India)
FILE PHOTO: Jeswin Aldrin Johnson of India. | Photo Credit: AFP
Jeswin Aldrin will carry the hope of several Indians in the competition as the National record holder will be of one the prime medal contenders in the event.
Aldrin enters the championship with the world-leading jump of 8.42m, which he achieved in the second AFI National Jumps Competition in March this year at the Inspire Institute of Sport in Bellary.
But he will also have to deal with the pressure of expectations, and competing at the world level for the first time will put his abilities to the test.
PB - 8.42m - AFI National Jumps Competition, March 2, 2023
SB - 8.42m - AFI National Jumps Competition, March 2, 2023
Murali Sreesankar (India)
FILE PHOTO: India’s Murali Sreeshankar in action. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Murali Sreesankar of India, ranked sixth in the world, has also set his sights on gold in Budapest.
The Commonwealth Games silver medallist comes into the event with a personal and season-best jump of 8.41m in the National Inter-State Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar.
The jump also puts him second after his compatriot Aldrin in the world-leading mark this season.
Sreesankar finished seventh in the 2022 Oregon World Championships with a slightly underwhelming jump of 7.96m and will be looking to improve his position this time.
PB - 8.41m - National Inter-State Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar June 18 2023
SB - 8.41m - National Inter-State Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar June 18 2023
Miltiadis Tentoglou (Greece)
FILE PHOTO: Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
The reigning Olympic champion and one of the most consistent long jumpers of the current circuit, Greece’s Miltiadis Tentoglou, will leave no stone unturned to win gold in Budapest.
After missing out on gold in the 2022 World Championship to China’s Wang Jianan, the world no. 1 has a great chance to change the colour of his medal.
With a personal best of 8.60m, Tentoglou stands far ahead of all the competitors in the mix.
PB - 8.60m - Grigoris Lambrakis Stadium, Kallithea, Athina (GRE) May 26, 2021
SB - 8.41m - Arena Stade Couvert, Liévin - February 15
Lin Yu Tang (Chinese Taipei)
Lin Yu Tang beat Sreeshankar in a closely-fought Asian Athletics Championships final in Thailand to win gold in July.
With the third-best world-leading jump this season, Tang could well be the dark horse of the event.
PB - 8.40m - Asian Athletics Championship, Bangkok July 15, 2023
SB - 8.40m - Asian Athletics Championship, Bangkok July 15, 2023
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