Shaili Singh puts Asian Games controversy behind her, targets stronger comeback

Shaili Singh is determined to put her controversial fourth-place finish at the Asian Games behind her as she looks to build on an encouraging season and target the 6.80m mark in the long jump.Shaili Singh wants to forget Asian Games controversy: Indian long jumper targets 6.80m after fourth-place finish (PTI Photo)New Delhi,Oct 9, 2026 14:16 ISTLong jumper Shaili Singh is trying to put her fourth-place finish at the Asian Games behind her and focus on the next competition. The 22-year-old admitted that it took her several days to come to terms with the disappointment, but she does not want the incident to affect her preparations for the future.Shaili finished fourth in the women's long jump at the Aichi-Nagoya Games with an effort of 6.42m. The Indian camp disputed the measurement of her fourth attempt, which was officially recorded at 6.41m, alleging that officials had under-measured the jump.Her protest during the competition was rejected, and the Athletics Federation of India later approached the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The case is still ongoing, but Shaili said she has to accept what happened and look ahead."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. "We had put up an objection there as well, and the case is still ongoing. So, whatever happens, I accept it," she added.Shaili said she needs to prepare for the competitions ahead rather than keep thinking about the Asian Games result. "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 TRIES HER HAND AT TRIPLE JUMPAt the 65th National Open Athletics Championships, Shaili competed in the triple jump and won bronze with an effort of 13.31m. She said she wanted to test herself in another event after trying it during training, but the long jump remains her main focus."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 said."It (triple jump) will be a side event only. But I will do more training for it," she added.The season has also brought some relief after two to three years of struggling with an ankle injury. The problem affected her consistency in the long jump, but Shaili said she has made progress in her recovery and is hopeful of doing better in the coming years."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 said.She stopped short of saying that she was completely fit, though she feels she has come a long way since dealing with the injury."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 said.6.80M REMAINS SHAILI'S TARGETShaili continues to aim for a jump of 6.80m. She admitted that reaching the mark is taking longer than she would like, but remains confident that she can get there with time."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.- Ends