In her first major senior outdoor international event, long jumper Shaili Singh won a bronze at the Seiko Golden Grand Prix in Yokohama on Sunday. The 19-year-old, an Under-20 World Championship silver medallist, hit her stride in the very first round by jumping 6.65 metres. The effort was wind- assisted but on her second leap, Shaili registered a legal 6.59 metres.
Though her personal best is 6.76m, she had a strong series of jumps in Japan – two 6.35m, one 6.36m and a 6.41m without a single foul.
Shaili, the youngest competitor in the women’s long jump at Yokohama – a World Athletics Continental Tour-Gold event – was part of a strong field in her first major senior assignment. Germany’s Maryse Luzolo won the gold with 6.79m in the fifth round, while Australia’s Brooke Buschkuehl, a Commonwealth Games silver medallist, took the silver with 6.77m. Japan’s Asian Indoor Champion Sumire Hara finished fourth (6.48m).
Long jumper #ShailiSingh won her first senior outdoor medal in Japan. The teenager clinched bronze at Golden Grand Prix after leaping 6.59m.
📽️ courtesy @Media_SAI https://t.co/L3YDHpjCSu pic.twitter.com/jazdBcBFsH
— Express Sports (@IExpressSports) May 21, 2023
Sunday’s bronze was significant because the event in Yokohama falls in Category ‘A’ and can boost Shaili’s rankings to make the cut for the World Championships to be held in Budapest in August.
Meanwhile, the Asian Athletics Championships in Thailand and the Inter-State Championships in Bhubaneswar are her next stops. Shaili is currently ranked 42nd and will have to reach 36 or higher to book a World Championship berth.
Shaili had started the season at the Asian Indoor Championships with 6.27m but improved by leaps and bounds by jumping 6.76m when she finished first at the Indian Grand Prix 4 in Bengaluru last month. The mark put her second on India’s all-time list after Anju Bobby George, whose husband Robert is Shaili’s coach.
At the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, Shaili had registered jumps of 6.58m, 6.76m, 6.64m and 6.66m with two fouls.
“She is still just 19. For her age, she has done really well. She will only get stronger and her technique will improve further. It is not just about breaking Anju’s record but about being consistent,” Robert had said.
This season has started off well for Shaili who had missed nearly eight months following a lower spine stress fracture after the World Under-20 Championships in 2021.
Back then, she was a regular visitor to the physio’s room. She could not lift heavy weights or jump and lost muscle mass. Being on the sidelines had affected her psychologically as well. “When she was dealing with the stress fracture, she wasn’t in the best mental space. I had to ensure she didn’t go into a state of negativity,” Robert had said.
The tough days seem to be behind her now.
After the bronze in Yokohama, Shaili tweeted: “I am really happy to tell you that, I got my first major Grandprix medal (senior) today n it’s a bronze in Japan. Thanks to my coach, all well wishers, my sponsors, TOPs, AFI, Sai Bangalore NCOE, OGQ and Anju Bobby George Sports Foundation.”