Indian triple-jumper Selva Prabhu Thirumaran on Monday became the first Indian ever to be named "Best Asian Under-20 Male Athlete of the Year" by Asian Athletics Association (AAA). Selva, 18, won silver at the World U20 Athletics Championships in Colombia last year, the latest in a series of international podium performances by India's jumpers.
Selva received the award during the AAA's 50th anniversary celebration in Bangkok, where the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships are due to begin on Wednesday.
Who is Selva Prabhu?
Selva, from a farming family in Madurai, is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in English Literature in Trichy. He was described as a "soft-spoken, hardworking boy who's fully dedicated to the sport" by C. Latha, secretary of the Tamil Nadu Athletic Association.
What is his career's biggest achievement?
His historic silver last year at the World U20 Athletics Championships in Colombia, where he produced a best jump of 16.15m.
How's his career been so far?
Selva's current personal best is 16.78m, which ranks him #9 on the all-time Indian list. He ranks #5 among current triple jumpers, with Praveen Chithravel leading the charts [17.37m]. He's one of India's most promising athletes and has excelled at the junior level. He re-wrote the junior national record with a 16.79m jump while winning the Venizelos-Chania International meet in Greece.
NEW NATIONAL RECORD ��#TeamIIS athlete Selva Prabhu creates a new Junior ���� record with a jump of 16.79m at the Venizelia Chania, held in Greece. ⚡️
The previous record (16.63m) was also held by a #TeamIIS athlete Arpinder Singh. ��#TripleJump #CraftingVictories pic.twitter.com/8AMQLcaEMA
- Inspire Institute of Sport (@IIS_Vijayanagar) May 28, 2023
He's also won gold medals at the 2022 Khelo India Youth Games and the U20 Federation Cup and silver at the Inter-University Championships and the Khelo India University Games.
Where does he train?
Selva trains under Cuban Olympian Yoandris Betanzos at the Inspire Institute of Sports in Bellary. Selva's training partners are India's two best jumpers - Jeswin Aldrin, who holds the national record for long jump, and Praveen Chithravel, who is India's #1 triple jumper.
What's next for Selva?
Currently ranked 39 in the world, he has an outside shot at qualifying for the senior World Athletics Championships this year (the top 36 make the cut). However, since only three athletes can compete from a single nation, Selva will either need to rack up more ranking or achieve the qualification mark [17.20m] to pip Eldhose Paul to the third spot.