Shaili Singh moves on from Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games fourth place and focuses on comeback

Shaili Singh, 22, said on 2026-10-09 she is trying to put her fourth-place finish at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya—recorded as a 6.42m effort in the women's long jump—behind her and concentrate on upcoming competitions. She told PTI it took several days to come to terms with the disappointment but she does not want the episode to derail her preparations.

The result at Aichi-Nagoya was followed by a measurement dispute: the Indian camp contested the measurement of her fourth attempt, which was officially recorded at 6.41m. Their on-the-spot protest was rejected and the Athletics Federation of India subsequently approached the Court of Arbitration for Sport; the case is still ongoing. "What happened was new for me, so I didn't understand it at that time. Even after that, it took me a lot of days to come out of it. It's been so many years of hard work. If I keep thinking about it, it's of no use. So, I have to come out of it," she told PTI.

At the 65th National Open Athletics Championships, Shaili competed in the triple jump and claimed bronze with a mark of 13.31m. On trying another event she said: "I just wanted to try triple jump in competition. I tried it in training, so I wanted to try a new event in competition. Long jump will be my main event." She added: "It (triple jump) will be a side event only. But I will do more training for it."

Shaili described the past two to three years as disrupted by an ankle injury that affected her consistency in the long jump, but said she has made recovery progress this season. "This year, there was a lot of consistency in the long jump. For the last two-three years, I had an ankle injury, so I was fighting with it a lot. But this year, I have recovered a lot and come back. I think next year and the coming years, I will be much better," she told PTI. On her current fitness she said: "I can't say that I am absolutely fit, but I have come out of the injury. So, according to that, I am very fit."

She reiterated that she must move past the Asian Games result to focus on forthcoming events and training. "I have to get ready for the upcoming competition as well. So, I have to leave the old things behind and I have to accept things," she said. Shaili continues to aim for a jump of 6.80m and said the target is taking time but remains her objective: "The target is always there. It will happen, but it is taking time. Whatever it is, it is good. Trusting the process. I am accepting it slowly, so it will be good in the future," she said.