A biryani before a jump: Jithin Arjunan’s appetising road to gold at Junior Nationals

Jithin, 18, won the men’s U-20 long jump gold at the National Junior Athletics Championships in Chennai with 7.64m, but was disappointed he couldn’t get close to his Personal Best of 8.12m.

Updated : Oct 25, 2026 18:03 IST , Chennai - 3 MINS READ

FILE PHOTO: Joining the Inspire Institute of Sport has helped Jithin Arjunan receive specialist coaching and compete in overseas competitions. | Photo Credit: R. RAGU

Jithin Arjunan has little appetite for a strict diet.

The long jumper from Dindigul prefers to make room for biryani, the dish his hometown is famous for, even before a competition.

“A strict diet and I are far apart. I’m from Dindigul. I eat biryani before every jump,” he told Sportstar.

His reasoning is straightforward: if he eats well, he believes he can jump well. He describes himself as something of an odd one out, but his coach is familiar with his preference. At the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS), Cuban coach Yoandri Betanzos even buys him biryani.

Betanzos has also given him a nickname: “7.50”. Jithin is looking for bigger distances, with the coach offering encouragement after a hamstring injury kept him out for a lengthy period last year.

On Saturday, the 18-year-old won the men’s U-20 long jump gold at the National Junior Athletics Championships in Chennai with 7.64m. He produced that distance in the second and third rounds at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, finishing ahead of Delhi’s Ayush Yadav (7.51m) and Kerala’s Dhanush Raj (7.50m). All six of his attempts were valid.

The title did not leave him satisfied. His personal best is 8.12m, achieved in Thiruvananthapuram in June, and winning in his home State came with the knowledge that he had fallen well short of it.

“Obviously, I’m not satisfied because my best was 8.12m,” Jithin said. “Considering it is the end of the season, 7.64m was good, but I’m still not satisfied with my performance at home.”

He has been collecting national medals since his schooldays. In 2023, he won the U-16 long jump title at the Junior Nationals in Coimbatore with 7.35m, then a national age-group record.

His father, Chandrasekaran, coached him through Class 12 in Dindigul. Jithin credited both parents for supporting his athletics before he joined IIS last year. The move brought specialist coaching and training away from home, followed by a season of competing overseas.

In the men's long jump event, Mohammad Atta Sazid, n athlete competing in Chennai after a stint at the U20 World Championships, was tipped to take the gold. However, Tamil Nadu's own Jithin Arjunan stunned Sazid and the rest of the field, taking gold after bettering his person best twice during the event. Coached by his father Chandrasekar (a former athlete himself), Jithin made a strong impressure in what was his first international tournament ever. #Athletics

— Sportstar (@sportstarweb) September 15, 2024

His first international medal had come on familiar ground: gold with 7.61m at the 2024 South Asian Junior Championships in Chennai. This year, he won Asian U-20 silver in Hong Kong with 7.66m before finishing eighth in the men’s long jump final at the World Athletics U-20 Championships in Oregon with 7.59m.

Oregon tested his ability to adapt. The climate took getting used to, and the meals lacked the spices and style of cooking he knew from home. He acknowledged those adjustments while accepting that his own performance had been below par.

“The food overseas was different. They don’t use the spices or cook the way we do here. But I can’t blame only the food. My performance was also below par, and next time I’ll do better,” he added.

For now, he plans to enjoy a few days off, catch up on sleep and then return to training for next season. His expectations for his jumping remain demanding; his approach to the break is easier to sum up: “Just go with the flow.”