<p>Bengaluru: Long jumper Lokesh Sathyanathan, a Bengaluru-born athlete competing in the USA collegiate system, has returned to India eyeing berths in the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games later this year.</p>.<p>The 26-year-old athlete, who is a college athlete at Tarleton State University, has been granted an exemption by the Athletics Federation of India to compete in the upcoming final trials for the Commonwealth Games at the National Athletics Federation Competition in Ranchi from May 22. </p>.<p>The athlete, who also intends to compete in the final trials for the Asian Games at the National Inter-State Championships in late June, was unable to fulfill the criterion to compete in at least two national-level domestic events and a state meet to be eligible for the trials, owing to examinations for his latest semester.</p>.<p>However, Lokesh, whose father is a retired footballer and taxi driver, was granted an exemption by AFI under special circumstances; something that the federation stated in the past too.</p>.<p>The long jumper has shown tremendous growth this season as he became an NCAA champion at the prestigious NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships with a personal best of 8.21 metres in March. </p>.<p>He repeated his best at a World Athletics-ratified domestic event in Texas last April as well. The effort, though not recognised by AFI, is the leading jump among senior long jumpers in India this season, including in-form Murali Sreeshankar, who leapt to a season best 8.15m in Bengaluru last April. Lokesh’s PB is also ranks him among the top six of both Asian and CWG nations.</p>.<p>The confident young man, who plans to return to the USA for his final year in July, sets his sights on CWG and Asiad glory.</p>.<p>“I just don’t want to qualify for the CWG and Asiad but want to win medals at both events,” Lokesh told <span class="italic">DH</span> from Mumbai. “My coach (Bobby Carter) and I have worked on several aspects of my jumps this season and I am eager to make it count at the big level.”</p>
<p>Bengaluru: Long jumper Lokesh Sathyanathan, a Bengaluru-born athlete competing in the USA collegiate system, has returned to India eyeing berths in the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games later this year.</p>.<p>The 26-year-old athlete, who is a college athlete at Tarleton State University, has been granted an exemption by the Athletics Federation of India to compete in the upcoming final trials for the Commonwealth Games at the National Athletics Federation Competition in Ranchi from May 22. </p>.<p>The athlete, who also intends to compete in the final trials for the Asian Games at the National Inter-State Championships in late June, was unable to fulfill the criterion to compete in at least two national-level domestic events and a state meet to be eligible for the trials, owing to examinations for his latest semester.</p>.<p>However, Lokesh, whose father is a retired footballer and taxi driver, was granted an exemption by AFI under special circumstances; something that the federation stated in the past too.</p>.<p>The long jumper has shown tremendous growth this season as he became an NCAA champion at the prestigious NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships with a personal best of 8.21 metres in March. </p>.<p>He repeated his best at a World Athletics-ratified domestic event in Texas last April as well. The effort, though not recognised by AFI, is the leading jump among senior long jumpers in India this season, including in-form Murali Sreeshankar, who leapt to a season best 8.15m in Bengaluru last April. Lokesh’s PB is also ranks him among the top six of both Asian and CWG nations.</p>.<p>The confident young man, who plans to return to the USA for his final year in July, sets his sights on CWG and Asiad glory.</p>.<p>“I just don’t want to qualify for the CWG and Asiad but want to win medals at both events,” Lokesh told <span class="italic">DH</span> from Mumbai. “My coach (Bobby Carter) and I have worked on several aspects of my jumps this season and I am eager to make it count at the big level.”</p>