Kozhikode (Kerala): Athlete Abdullah Abubakar qualified for the Paris Olympics, which will begin on July 26. He cleared 17 meters in his 6 attempts in the national senior athletics championship.
Though he failed to clear the qualifier mark of 17.22 meters set for the Paris Olympics he managed to place at 21st rank in the world ranking in the triple jump event with his performance at Tau Devilal Stadium in Haryana. The 63rd National Senior Athletics Championship concluded in Haryana was the last qualifying chance for Indian athletes to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
Abdullah Abu Bakar, a native of Kozhikode Nadapuram, will compete in the triple jump. A native of Valayam, near Nadapuram Kozhikode, he competed in many events like sprint, high jump, long jump, and hurdles in his early school days.
It was while studying in ninth he realised that the triple jump was his path after joining Kalladi Kumaramputhur HSS, Palakkad. A year later, he won gold in the state and national school sports competitions. In 2015, he became the national champion in the junior category. He also won a silver in the 2022 Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham.
Abdullah was out of the medal chances after completing the first four jumps in the final. But he rose to the silver medal position with a jump of 17.02 meters in the fifth round. Abdullah also became the first Indian athlete to clear 17 meters three times.
During his 14-year career, Abdullah was plagued by injuries. Abdullah was out of the field due to a succession of injuries in his foot, knee, and ankle. Still, the athlete struggled and won the gold medal at the Indian Grand Prix Athletics held in Bhubaneswar with a jump of 17.19m.
It was the best performance by an Indian athlete in the triple jump since Ranjith Maheshwari. Abdullah, who won a silver at the National Senior Athletics held in Chennai, also cleared the dream distance (17.14m) in the triple jump. Abdullah, who got a job in the Indian Air Force under the sports quota in 2017, is preparing to fly to Paris.
