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Journalism of Courage
ON THE most important day of his budding career, 18-year-old long jumper Shahnavaz Khan took a moment to remember his late father Naseemudin. Before stepping onto the runway to compete in the final of the World Athletics Bronze Level Continental Tour at the Kalinga Stadium on Sunday, he wrote a message on the back of his bib. It read: “8+ jump, I miss dad.”
Youngest of the 12 jumpers in the final comprising some of India’s best, the teenager stunned the field with 8.04 metres — his personal best — in the fourth round to go into the lead before Commonwealth Games and Asian Games medallist Murali Sreeshankar fought back to clinch gold with 8.13 metres.
Posing for photographers after the contest, an emotional Shahnavaz held up the bib across his chest. Entering the 8-metre club, rewriting his own Under-18 national record, his father’s memory inspiring him to give his best, and a silver medal around his neck made it a special evening for the long jumper from Sangrampur village in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh.
“Writing on the back of the bib was my way of a tribute to my father who passed away in 2018 because of an ailment. He drove a truck. I miss him,” Shahnavaz told The Indian Express on Tuesday.
The 8-metre mark, like the 80-metre mark in men’s javelin, is a benchmark which separates the wheat from the chaff.
“I wanted to cross the 8-metre mark desperately. I jumped 7.90 metres in my last competition, so I knew I was close to the 8-metre mark,” Shahnavaz said. He didn’t appear to be overawed by the occasion as he raised his arms over his head and exulted while facing the spectators at the stadium.
This wasn’t a flash-in-the-pan performance by Shahnavaz, a consistent performer at age-group level. In December 2024, he became the Under-18 national champion with a jump of 7.72 metres and at the start of this year, won the National Games gold with 7.70 metres.
He also has Sreeshankar to thank for prompt advice after two consecutive fouls, in the second and third rounds, in Bhubaneswar.
“Bhaiyya, foul ho raha hai bahut (Brother, I am fouling a lot),” Shahnavaz had said. “Control your run-up and jump,” Sreeshankar had replied.
The senior and junior jumpers train at the Sports Authority of India’s National Centre of Excellence in Thiruvananthapuram and being able to pick the senior’s brains helped Shahnavaz.
“It’s good training with Sreeshankar. He tells me a lot of vital things. Whatever mistakes I make, he tells me how to correct them,” Shahnavaz, a JSW Sports athlete, said.
Sreeshankar is pleased that Shahnavaz was able to cross the 8-metre mark at a major competition. “I’m very happy for Shahnavaz, he did above 8 metres. He’s very young. We train together, we push each other. And we have a very good rapport,” Sreeshankar said.
Shahnavaz is rubbing shoulders with the best now but his early inspiration was his cousin Shahruk Khan, the Under-20 3,000 metres steeplechase national-record holder, who is also from his village. “I picked up the long jump because I found jumping to be easier than running. Running has never been easy for me,” Shahnavaz said.
Soon he was finishing on the podium at district competitions. “I got a certain thrill from flying over the pit. I love it when I am in the air,” he said.
With his first-ever international medal in the bag, Shahnavaz is dreaming big. “I want to represent India at every major competition like the Olympics, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. The 8-metre jump has given me confidence,” he said.
However, Shahnavaz has a grouse – he is yet to receive the prize money for winning the National Games gold. His mother runs the house, while his younger sister and brother are still in school.
“My mother looks after the house and also works in the fields. That is how she manages to run the household. Every penny is important for our family. It has been more than six months since I won the gold medal at the National Games representing Uttar Pradesh but I haven’t got the prize money announced for the gold medallists,” he said.
The silver at the Continental Tour event, Shahnavaz hopes, will pave the way for more prize money and bigger medals. “Hopefully, I can go from strength to strength and emulate Sreeshankar.”
