Aboobacker regains form, targets 17.20M mark ahead of busy 2026 season

NEW DELHI: After an injury-ridden season last year that saw a dip in form, India’s leading triple jumper Abdulla Aboobacker is regaining momentum, showing improved consistency with a string of steady performances ahead of a packed 2026 athletics calendar.

The 30-year-old Aboobacker suffered from back and ankle pain in 2025, where he was forced to miss tournaments while failing to qualify for the final of the World Athletics meet in Tokyo after finishing 10th in Group A with a lowly 16.33m jump.




Later, the Keralite took a break of nearly two months to focus on his recovery and injury management. On his return, he claimed gold at the Indian Open Jumps competition in Bengaluru in March, leaping 16.83m to defeat national record holder Praveen Chithravel. He also successfully breached the mark of 16.28m to qualify for the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

“The qualification is a significant milestone,” Aboobacker told TOI in an interview on Tuesday, “Returning to competition with a mark of 16.83m represents clear technical progression from the 16.63m achieved at the last Asian Games, providing a strong foundation for the CWG qualifiers and the inter-state meet.

“Aiming for the 17.20m to 17.40m range is a necessary objective for me,” he added, “Performing at that level not only closes the gap with the current podium standards of 17.12m but positions a jumper to actively contend for a medal rather than just a place in the final. The emphasis now shifts to maintaining this momentum.”

Aboobacker had claimed silver in the triple jump event at the Birmingham CWG in 2022 with a best effort of 17.02m in his fifth attempt but narrowly missed out on a podium finish at the Hangzhou Asiad after finishing fourth. Aboobacker said his goal has now been to convert past silver and near-misses into a gold medal performance.

“I was nervous in Hangzhou. I was the 2023 Asian champion at the time, and the pressure of ‘Will I get a medal or not’ got to me. It was a fierce competition between me, Praveen, and two Chinese athletes who were hitting 17.20m. Finishing fourth felt like I was just there for participation value,” he said, adding, “But that was years ago. I’ve matured now. The tension is gone because the past is the past.”

“My mindset has transitioned into a “do or die” approach, where the primary objective is a podium finish rather than a specific distance. Having missed the gold at the previous CWG by a margin of only 1cm with a 17.02m jump and following a fourth-place finish at the Asiad, my focus is now entirely on upgrading those results,” said Aboobacker, who has been training at the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) in Bellary since 2022.

Aboobacker also talked about his current training regimen and said it’s been categorised into specific phases across the off-season and mid-season, with a strategic shift in focus during the peak competitive period.

“Last year, we transitioned to single-session workouts that prioritise high intensity coupled with an even greater emphasis on recovery. With a workload of 40 to 50 training units, recovery has become the most critical factor in sustaining elite performance. We employ a data-driven approach, utilising regular blood tests to monitor inflammation levels and overall physiological readiness. I have found that when recovery is managed effectively, optimal performance follows as a natural result,” he said.
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