Indian triple jumper Praveen Chithravel finished sixth at the Monaco Diamond League athletics meet on Friday.
Competing in his first Diamond League meet, the 22-year-old from Tamil Nadu jumped 16.59m – his best effort of the night – on his fifth and final attempt. It was enough for him to beat American duo Will Claye (16.21) and Christian Taylor (16.20).
However, his attempt was the first time in four outdoor meets that the national record holder had failed to jump beyond the 17m-mark.
He had jumped a national record 17.37m in May, which helped him qualify for the World Athletics Championships that take place next month in Budapest, Hungary.
The meet in Monaco on Friday though, marked his return from a hamstring injury that had sidelined him for over a month.
By finishing sixth, he earned three ranking points in the race to the Diamond League Final. He’s currently placed 12th in the overall tally.
Only the top 8 athletes at the end of the season qualify for the Final.
Hugues Fabrice Zango of Burkina Faso won the event on his final jump of the night, reaching a distance of 17.70m, ahead of Jamaican jumper Jaydon Hibbert’s 17.66. Algeria’s Yasser Mohammed Triki finished third with 17.32.
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