India made history in the triple jump event at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022 (CWG 2022) on Sunday when Eldhose Paul and Abdulla Aboobacker won gold and silver medals respectively.
This is the first time Indian track and field athletes have finished 1-2 in any event at the Commonwealth Games.
The twin triple jump medals have taken India's count in athletics to six.
Eldhose Paul won the gold medal with a jump of 17.03m while Abdulla Aboobacker leaped 17.02m to win the silver medal. Bermuda’s Jah-Nhai Perinchief won bronze with a jump of 16.92m.
Another Indian, Praveen Chithravel, finished fourth with a jump of 16.89m. He was just 0.03m off the bronze medal.
Twitter praises Indian triple jump athletes for their sensational show
Social media broke into a frenzy, congratulating the Indian athletes for a twin-podium finish. Fans were elated with the way Indian athletes made history at the ongoing Commonwealth Games.
Here are some of the reactions:
Paul starts slow, grabs lead in spectacular fashion
Bermuda’s Jah-Nhai Perinchief started with a bang when he stormed into the lead in his first attempt. The Indians, especially Eldhose Paul, were not even in contention at that point. Paul made a medicore 14.62m jump and gradually improved.
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The Indian gold medalist took the lead after his third attempt with his monstrous 17.03m jump, which was never beaten till the end.
After five rounds, it was clear that it would be an Indian 1-2 finish.
Paul became the first jumper to clear 17m in the CWG event when he jumped his personal best of 17.03m in his third attempt.
Last month, Eldhose Paul scripted history by becoming the first Indian triple jumper to reach the World Athletics Championships final in Eugene.