Kozhikode: Tamil Nadu long jumper Jeswin Aldrin is not disappointed that his best effort of a wind-assisted 8.37m didn't make it to the record books as he aims to repeat his stellar performance during the World Championships later this year.
Indian athletics chief coach Radhakrishnan Nair had told PTI that Aldrin's second best effort of 8.26m on Sunday was legal and he has qualified for the World Championships in USA in July by breaching the entry standard of 8.22m.
"This is a new standard of long jump in India, and the competition will definitely help the sport. I am happy that I have managed to qualify for the World Championship with my performance and I am hoping that I can repeat my performances on the world stage as well," Aldrin said.
Read: Boxing: Monika stuns two-time World Championships medallist, storms into semis at Thailand Open
Aldrin cleared 8.37m in his second attempt but the tail wind speed measured on the wind gauge was + 4.1m/s, well above the legal limit of + 2m/s. He cannot be denied a gold but he was denied the national record.
Tokyo Olympian Murali Sreeshankar of Kerala, who had won silver with a jump of 8.36m, praised Aldrin for his world-class performance.
"It was a world-class performance by Jeswin and it's great to have us push each other. (Muhammed) Anees also jumped 8m plus, so this is a great sign for Indian long jump and hopefully, we'll have some good performances in the upcoming major events," Sreeshankar said.