Jeswin Aldrin’s leap of faith!

India’s Jeswin Aldrin during the long jump qualifying at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, yesterday. Pic/AP, PTI

The wounded sense of what might have been hung over the National Athletic Centre long jump pit here at the 2023 World Championships. From an Indian perspective, we had two world-leading jumpers at the qualifying; a reason to understand and believe that this could be that turning point like what we witnessed with Neeraj Chopra. Jeswin Aldrin and Murali Sreeshankar with season's bests of 8.42m and 8.41m, gave everyone that confidence and belief. Both making the final would have been a fantastic step ahead.

Need to raise the bar

Yet, at the end of the qualifying, Aldrin scraped into the final in the 12th spot (12 qualify) with a jump of 8.00m, while Sreeshankar, with jumps of 7.74m, 7.66m and 6.70m crashed out. As fate would have it, it's extremely strange. At the last World Championships in Eugene (2022), Sreeshankar had qualified for the final with a jump of 8.00m, while Aldrin missed the final, jumping 7.79m. In the 2022 final, Sreeshankar finished 7th with a jump of 7.96m.

More was expected from Sreeshankar as this was his 3rd World Championships. Given the experience, distances needed to improve and that is where his disappointment was apparent when he could hardly articulate his thoughts on what really went wrong.

Also Read: Jeswin Aldrin qualifies for maiden World C'ships long jump finals, Sreeshankar exits

Aldrin's jump may have been 8m, but that will need to improve if he hopes of finishhing in the top six today. He hopes to gain from each experience, especially 2022. "It's just an overall experience, not to be scared. Last time [World Championships 2022], I did the first jump very big, but it was a foul. Then I controlled myself, but this time I went for it."

Aldrin is looking forward to the final and is keen to have fun alongside the top 12 in the world. he is also keen to rewrite his season's best and hopefully, break a record. "I just want to have fun, get into the final and want to do a personal best in the final," he says. Looking ahead, he echoes what Neeraj Chopra says about the fans inside the stadium. "I was more experienced than the last time. I wasn't scared. The atmosphere is really good. I want to enjoy the competition."

Being on top of the world-leading list before the qualifying wasn't pressure for Aldrin. "You feel very bad [when the performance is not good]. At one time, you're on top of the world [on leading the chart]. I had a good team, who are supporting me all the time and that's what every athlete wants." Maybe, he does feel that sense of unfulfilled promise now that Sreeshankar will not be in the final. Promises, at times, just sputter out into nothing.

‘Feel sad for Sreeshankar'

"I'm really sad for him," he says, when asked about Sreeshankar. "He is doing really great this season. He has been so consistent. I just wanted him to be in the final, but it was disappointing that he didn't make it." In the end, apart from a feeling of relief that an athlete made it to the final, it's also overridden by a sense of what could have been.