Karthik Unnikrishnan finishes sixth in Asian Games triple jump debut

Karthik Unnikrishnan finished sixth in the men’s triple jump at the Asian Games in Nagoya after rain disrupted conditions at the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium. The 33-year-old was making his Asian Games debut and had waited years for the chance to compete at a major continental event. He crossed the 16-metre mark once in six attempts but did not reach the 16.80-metre distance he believed was within his capability.

India’s challenge was further weakened when Praveen Chithravel, the country’s 2022 Asian Games bronze medallist, pulled a muscle in the opening round. He was ruled out without completing a jump, leaving Unnikrishnan as India’s only competitor in the event. Unnikrishnan’s route to Nagoya had been marked by setbacks.

He entered India’s triple-jump scene in 2015 after growing up between Ooty, where his parents ran a tea shop, and his maternal grandparents’ home in Kerala. He initially struggled in the hurdles before moving to the triple jump. Progress came gradually, including a second-place finish after he was called into a national meet as an injury replacement.

Coach P.G. Manoj advised him to secure employment, and Unnikrishnan later joined the Indian Air Force through the sports quota. His career was interrupted by the Covid-19 lockdown, post-Covid recovery, an ankle injury during Commonwealth Games trials and a severe tendon injury in 2023.

The tendon problem forced him to rebuild his technique with the help of his physiotherapist, Garima, who is now his wife. Unnikrishnan had previously breached 17 metres and recorded a season-best 16.11 metres to win the Indian Open in Sangrur in 2025. In Nagoya, however, the wet runway and a difficult competition left him sixth.