Jeswin Aldrin included in AIU testing pool, joins Neeraj Chopra and 4 other Indians

Long jumper Jeswin Aldrin has become the latest Indian athlete to be been included in the Registered Testing Pool (RTP) of World Athletics (WA) by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).

The RTP includes all athletes subject to Out of Competition World Athletics testing. According to this, athletes are required to provide full whereabouts details quarterly. The information must include residential addresses, training venues, competition venues, and travel plans (longer than 24 hours), among others.

They should also provide a 60-minute no-notice time slot (between 5 am and 11 pm in the local time zone) where they can be found without fail. If an athlete fails to be available for this one slot thrice in a 12-month period, it leads to an Anti-Doping Violation, which may attract a two-year suspension.

Aldrin broke the men’s long jump national record with a 8.42 metres jump at the National Jumps Competition at Bellary in March. He clinched the gold ahead of Muhammed Yahiya (7.85m, silver) and Rishabh Rishishwar (7.77m, bronze).

The Tamil Nadu jumper's 8.42m effort broke Murali Sreeshankar’s 8.36m record set at the 2022 Federation Cup.

Aldrin becomes the second Indian jumper, after Sreeshankar, to be included in the RTP. He is the sixth Indian on the AIU RTP list, alongside Neeraj Chopra and Annu Rani (javelin throw), Avinash Sable (steeplechase), Abdulla Aboobacker (triple jump), and Sreeshankar (long jump).

Aldrin is currently also on the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) having its own RTP. With athletes normally included only in one of the RTPs, the 21-year-old might be excluded from the NADA RTP for the next quarter, beginning July 1.

He has been in good form this year, having won silver at the 2023 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Kazakhstan in February with a 7.97m jump. Last year, things were not as rosy as his form dipped after the Federation Cup triumph. He found himself excluded from India’s Commonwealth Games squad.

He was also excluded from the World Championships squad, though the Athletics Federation of India held two trials following which he was included. However, at the event in Oregon, he finished 20th in the qualifiers with a best jump of 7.79m and failed to qualify for the final.