Quick Info→
Height: 5′ 9”
Age: 23 Years
Hometown: Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu
Some Lesser Known Facts About Praveen Chithravel
- During a media conversation, he once recalled how his science teacher used to spend money to take him to district-level triple jump tournaments and other competitions when he was a teenager.
- Praveen Chithravel met his mentor, Indira Suresh, when he was in 7th grade. Indira is an athletics coach at the Centre of Excellence for Boys (CoE) in Chennai.
- When she began working at the Sports Development Authority of India, Indira trained and guided Praveen there.
- In 2018, Praveen was trained under Indira in Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu. Once, in a media conversation, Indira Suresh narrated Praveen’s initial sports journey. She said,
When Praveen was in Class VII at the CoE in Chennai, I spotted him and took him under me. When I was shifted to a college in Nagecoil, he also came to me and said he will train only under me. So, I got him admitted to my college.”
- Praveen Chithravel won a bronze medal in the men’s triple jump at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina, becoming the second Indian to win an athletics medal at the Youth Olympic Games.
- In 2018, he won a gold medal in the Triple Jump in the Khelo India School Games held in New Delhi.
- Praveen won a silver medal at the Junior National Championships organised in Coimbatore in 2018.
- Later, he started training at the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) in Vijayanagara, Karnataka, under coach Antony Yaich.
- Praveen Chithravel trains and lives at the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) whole year. He visits his home in Thiruvarur only once a year. IIS provides financial support to Praveen.
- He won a bronze medal at the 2022 Asian Games with a 16.68-meter jump. In the third round, he made a jump that could have won him the silver medal, but it was declared a foul.
- Praveen Chithravel came fourth in the 2022 Commonwealth Games with a best jump of 16.89 meters (55.4 feet).
- In 2022, he was mentored by Yoandri Betanzos, a former world-class triple jumper and twice world championships silver medallist.
- Praveen Chithravel finished sixth in the men’s triple jump at the 2023 Monaco Diamond League. This was his first Diamond League event, and his best jump was 16.59 meters.
- He could not reach the 17-meter mark he had set in four outdoor meets in 2023 because of a hamstring injury, causing him to take a break for nearly a month and withdraw from the 2023 Florence Diamond League organised in Italy.
- Praveen Chithravel then set the National Record with a 17.37-meter jump at the Prueba de Confrontación 2023 Meet in Cuba. This jump qualified him for the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Hungary.
- At the World Athletics Championships, only Neeraj Chopra, an Indian track and field athlete, won a gold medal.
- Praveen Chithravel broke the meet record with a jump of 17.17 metres to clinch gold in the triple jump at the 2nd Indian Open Jumps Competition at the Inspire Institute of Sport in Bellary, Karnataka.
- In 2023, he won a silver medal at the Asian Indoor Championships and broke the national indoor record with a 16.98m jump.
- He secured a quota for the Paris 2024 Olympics through his world rankings.
- Praveen Chithravel is inspired by noted athletes Christian Taylor, Carl Lewis, and Neeraj Chopra.
- According to Praveen Chithravel, when he was not a professional athlete, managing a healthy diet was difficult for him. In a media interview, he stated he liked eating seafood with a lot of spice. He said,
At IIS (Inspire Institute of Sport), we get fish but it’s bland. However, that’s the best for my body. Oh, then there’s biryani, crabs, prawns (lists out a complete menu)… But now I have to keep a check on my eating habits. I am a professional now.”
- He dislikes cold weather.
- He likes travelling to distant places and swimming in his free time.
- Praveen Chithravel is a fitness enthusiast and goes to the gym regularly. He often shares pictures of his gym sessions on social media.
- Doing photography is his favourite recreational activity.