Indian triple jumpers Praveen Chithravel and Selva Prabhu Thirumaran won the silver and bronze medals respectively at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow on Saturday, continuing India’s strong showing in the field events.
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Asian Games bronze medallist Chithravel secured the silver medal with a best jump of 16.58m, while compatriot Thirumaran finished close behind with an effort of 16.52m to claim the bronze.
It was Selva’s first medal of note in senior international competition. Jamaica’s Jordan Scott won the gold medal with a jump of 16.72m.
Chithravel’s medal is another major milestone in a journey that began in a small village in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur district. Born into an economically
disadvantaged family, with his father working as a daily wage farm labourer and his mother a homemaker, he first came into the spotlight after winning gold at the inaugural Khelo India School Games in 2018.
Training under coach Indira Suresh at the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu’s Centre of Excellence in Chennai, Praveen developed into one of India’s leading horizontal jumpers. Later training in Nagercoil, he made history by winning bronze in the men’s triple jump at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games, becoming India’s first medallist in the event.
Chithravel then won the silver medal at the 2023 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Astana with a national indoor record of 16.98m. He later improved the Indian national record to 17.37m and claimed bronze at the Asian Games in Hangzhou.
In 2024, he represented India at the Paris Olympic Games and also competed at the World Athletics Indoor Championships. He returned to top form in 2025 with silver medals at the Asian Athletics Championships and the FISU World University Games.
On the other hand, Selva Prabhu, who hails from Madurai in Tamil Nadu and comes from a farming family, first gained international recognition after winning silver at the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia.
The same year, he also won gold medals at the Khelo India Youth Games and the U20 Federation Cup.
In 2023, Selva became the first Indian to be named the Best Asian Under-20 Male Athlete of the Year by the Asian Athletics Association after setting the Indian U20 national record of 16.79m while winning the Venizelos–Chania International Meet in Greece.
Competing for Kansas State University in the United States in 2026, he recorded a personal best of 17.05m to finish runner-up at the NCAA Division I Indoor Championships before winning the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships title in Eugene, Oregon.
With SAI Inputs
