Long Jumper Murali Sreeshankar Finishes Third In Paris Diamond League

Top Indian long jumper Murali Sreeshankar secured a creditable third place in the Paris Diamond League with a jump of 8.09m, his maiden top-three finish in the prestigious one-day meeting series. Sreeshankar also became the only third Indian to finish in top-three of a Diamond League after Olympic champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and former discus thrower Vikas Gowda. Commonwealth Games silver medallist Sreeshankar achieved his best jump of the day in his third attempt on Friday night.

His 8.09m effort was below his season's best of 8.18m, which he recorded while winning gold in an event in Greece last month. The 24-year-old has a personal best of 8.36m that came last year.

The competitors in the men's long jump event faced head wind most of the time.

Olympic champion and world number one Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece took the top spot with his fifth round jump of 8.13m, just 4cm better than Sreeshankar.

Switzerland's World Championships bronze medallist Simon Ehammer finished second with his fourth round jump of 8.11m.

Sreeshankar's series at the Charlety Stadium here was 7.79m, 7.94m, foul, 7.99m and foul.

He was leading after the third round before Ehammer and Tentoglou went ahead.

The Indian however finished ahead of Cuba's Olympic bronze medallist Maykel Masso (sixth place with 7.83m) and Sweden's World No. 4 Thobias Montler (seventh with 7.82m) to join the exclusive three-member DL club.

Olympic champion Chopra is the reigning Diamond League champion in javelin throw after winning the Finals in Zurich last September.

He has also finished on top in Lausanne and second in Stockholm last year before winning the season-opening leg in Doha last month.

Gowda had finished second twice -- in New York in 2012 and in