World Athletics Championships: Jeswin Aldrin finishes 11th in long jump final after disappointing show

Indian national record holder Jeswin Aldrin came up with a disappointing show in the 12-man men’s long jump final at the World Athletics Championships 2023 in Budapest on Thursday, August 24. Aldrin managed a best effort of 7.77m in the final, way off his personal best mark to finish 11th in the fiercely-fought final.

Jeswin Aldrin fouled his first two attempts even as the atmosphere at the venue was electric with fans cheering on the world-class athletes. Aldrin put pressure on himself, giving himself one last attempt to finish in the top 8. Only the top 8 athletes after the first 3 jumps will get another 3 attempts while the bottom 4 will be eliminated from the competition.

Jeswin Aldrin needed a jump of 7.95m or more in 3rd attempt to stay in the competition as USA’s Williams was a the 8th spot after 3 attempts with a best effort of 7.94m. However, Aldrin, who looked a bit shaky in his run-up, managed only 7.77m.

Aldrin entered the competition as the world leader of the season, having set a national record with an impressive 8.42m jump at the India Open competition earlier in March 2023

7.77m was Jeswin Aldrin’s 2nd lowest mark of the season after the 7.66m he managed at the Venizelia – Chania International Meeting, Elena Venizelou National Stadium, Chania in May.

It will be a learning curve for the 21-year-old Indian, who headed into the World Athletics Championships with the world-leading jump of 8.42m. He lost the world-leading status in Budapest with the likes of Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou and Jamaica’s Wayne Pinnock registering jumps of 8.50m or more in the event at the world meet.

Notably, Jeswin qualified for the final in the 12th spot with a best effort of 8m and he was not able to emulate that mark in the final.

India’s Murali Sreeshankar, who finished on the podium at the Paris Diamond League in July, failed to qualify for the final after managing just 7.74 and finishing 22nd in the qualification round.