Praveen Chithravel resumes training after calf blood clot, targets Aichi-Nagoya Asiad

Commonwealth Games silver medallist Praveen Chithravel said on the sidelines of the World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meet at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Saturday (August 22, 2026) that he has resumed training after a blood clot in his right calf and is confident of recovering in time for the Aichi-Nagoya Asiad.

Chithravel described his recent preparation and the incident that interrupted it, saying he had been doing high-intensity training for five months and, after the CWG, was undertaking three weeks of load training for the Asian Games at the camp in the Czech Republic; he added the first week was good before he “got a cramp while doing a take-off around August 10,” in comments to The Hindu at the meet.

On the injury and his immediate recovery steps, he said: “There is a blood clot. Initially, I couldn’t run. I took 10 days’ rest. I’ve started training from Monday — jogging and easy sessions.”

The national record holder (17.37m in May 2023) reminded that he is not fixated on the colour of a medal, adding: “I want to do a good jump and end the season happily. If I jump 17.50m and finish fourth, I’ll be happy.”

Reflecting on his progression since Birmingham 2022, when he finished fourth on 16.89m and missed a medal by two centimetres to Eldhose Paul and Abdulla Aboobacker, Chithravel said his silver in Glasgow was four years in the making and recounted his changes in preparation: “I waited for this moment since 2022. I had a wallpaper on my phone. I knew a lot would change with this medal. So I worked hard, changed my technique and running approach and started training with Cuban coach Yoandri Betanzos. That day, I don’t know what happened to everyone. Medal-wise I’m happy, but performance-wise I’m not. Actually, it’s my gold. Maybe at the Olympics, I’ll get the gold.”

He outlined a mentoring role alongside his competitive ambitions, naming Selva Prabhu — who won bronze in Glasgow — and citing support within the group: “Selva is the next generation, he is pushing me. Seniors supported me, so I’m supporting him. Arpinder Singh, Eldhose and Aboobacker, then it’s me and Selva. We want to keep the CWG medals. More triple-jumpers will come for 2030 CWG in India. I’m just 25, so I’ll be there for the next CWG and Asiad,” he said.

Chithravel confirmed he has resumed track work and added: “I’ve around a month for the Asian Games.”