Eldhose Paul has created history by clinching gold in the men’s triple jump event at the Commonwealth Games 2022. The 25-year-old also became the first-ever Indian athlete to qualify for the final of men’s triple jump at the World Athletics Championships in the 2022 edition. He jumped 17.03m in the final, which is also his personal best
Paul registered a 16.68 metres jump at the event, which took place in Oregon, USA, on July 22. However, he had not made headlines earlier in his career and this achievement might just go a long way to him breaking into the limelight.
The 25-year-old is as mysterious as one can be for an Indian athlete making headlines at home and abroad. Let’s take a look at who he is and what made him tick.
Born on November 7, 1996 in Ernakulam, Kerala, Paul did not think about becoming an athlete before joining the MA Athanasius College in Kothamangalam. Widely regarded for its abilities to churn out athletes, it was here at this college where his sporting journey began.
Paul has credited his rise to fame to TP Ouseph, his coach. Apart from triple jump, he has previously trained in pole vault and cross country running, however, settled in his most recent discipline.
Similar to Neeraj Chopra, who had won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and has also reached the final of the World Athletics Championships, Paul is employed by one of the three defence forces of India. He works for the Indian Navy and represents Services in the national competitions. The 25-year-old is also trained by the Sports Authority of India (SAI), under the guidance of M Harikrishnan.
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Paul won a gold medal at the Indian Grand Prix 1 in 2021 after registering a jump of 16.56 metres. He replicated his performance at the National Inter State Senior Athletics Championships in Patiala later that year.
He won another gold medal at the Indian Grand Prix in 2022, which was organised in his home state of Kerala. He recorded his personal best of 16.95 metres at the time in the event, before breaking it in the Federation Cup with a 16.99 metres jump to clinch the gold.
His consistent performance paid dividends, landing him gold at the Commonwealth Games 2022.
