4 min readJun 26, 2026 11:47 PM IST Despite the Kalinga Stadium track being unduly bouncy due to afternoon rain, national triple jump record holder Praveen Chithravel soared 16.92m to win the title at the inter-state athletics championships and book his berth for the upcoming Asian Games. Chithravel was pushed all the way by veteran Kartik Unnikrishnan, who finished second with 16.80m while NCAA champion Selva Prabhu managed 16.79m to win the bronze medal. In all, six jumpers cleared the qualification mark of 16.28m and made it to the continental mega event to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan from September 19-October 4. At the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Praveen failed to progress beyond the qualification round with a best jump of 16.74m. He has been trying to make up for that disappointment ever since. “I have lost a lot in the last two years. I was crying in Japan after failing to qualify for the World Championships final. But now I know that I will win for sure after losing so much,” Praveen said …