Indian triple jumper Selva Prabhu continued his rapid rise on the global athletics circuit with a superb second-place finish at the DeLoss Dodds Invitational in Manhattan, USA, producing a season-defining leap of 16.63 metres in a high-quality international field.
The jump was the second-best of his career, only 15 centimetres short of his personal best of 16.78m, which also stands as the Indian Under-20 National Record.
In a competition packed with elite American collegiate and international jumpers, Prabhu’s performance stood out not only for the distance but also for the calibre of athletes he beat. The Indian teenager finished behind only Brandon Green Jr. of Oklahoma, who won with 16.81m, while Prabhu’s 16.63m secured him a clear second ahead of Trevon Hamer (16.47m), US national champion Russell Robinson (16.04m), and former NCAA champion Emmanuel Ihemeje of Italy (15.96m).
It was a result that underlined both his consistency and his readiness to compete at senior international level.
A big jump in a big field
The DeLoss Dodds Invitational is one of the most competitive indoor meets on the US collegiate calendar, often serving as a proving ground for athletes targeting national teams and major championships. With strong representation from top NCAA programs like Oklahoma, Kansas State, Nebraska and Baylor, Prabhu was up against athletes with years of experience on the American circuit.
Yet he showed no hesitation. His 16.63m jump came early in the competition and immediately put him into medal contention. Crucially, it also put pressure on the rest of the field. While several jumpers hovered in the 16-metre range, none could match Prabhu’s blend of speed, rhythm and control through the hop-step-jump phases.
Only Brandon Green Jr., a senior at Oklahoma and one of the most explosive jumpers in the NCAA, was able to go farther with his 16.81m, which proved decisive for gold.
For Selva, however, second place in this company was an enormous statement.
Beating proven champions
What makes Prabhu’s result particularly impressive is the list of names he finished ahead of. Russell Robinson, who placed fourth with 16.04m, is the reigning US national champion, a seasoned competitor used to pressure situations and championship environments. Emmanuel Ihemeje, fifth with 15.96m, is a former NCAA champion and one of Europe’s most experienced indoor triple jumpers.
To outjump both in a head-to-head competition shows how far Selva Prabhu has progressed in a short time.
At just 19 years of age, he is not only competing but holding his own against some of the best athletes in the world’s most competitive domestic system. That kind of exposure is invaluable, especially for an Indian athlete in a technical discipline like triple jump, where rhythm, runway execution and board accuracy are as important as raw power.
Building on a record-breaking year
Selva Prabhu’s rise has been one of the most exciting stories in Indian athletics over the past year. In 2024, he rewrote the Indian Under-20 record with a massive 16.78m, a mark that instantly put him on the global junior map. That jump also brought him close to the senior national standard and signalled that he was ready to transition into higher-level competition.
The 16.63m at Manhattan confirms that the record was no one-off. Instead, it is part of a growing pattern of big jumps delivered in high-pressure meets.
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Indoor competitions, especially in the US, are notoriously demanding. The shorter run-ups, tighter boards and fast tracks can punish even small technical errors. For a young jumper like Selva to come within 15cm of his lifetime best in such conditions suggests that his technical base is becoming more robust and repeatable.
That is exactly what coaches look for in athletes who have long-term international potential.
What this means for Indian athletics
India has traditionally struggled to produce world-class triple jumpers, especially on the men’s side. While the women’s event has seen strong progress in recent years, the men’s discipline has lacked depth and consistency at the international level.
His ability to compete toe-to-toe with elite American and European athletes in their own backyard indicates that he is no longer just a promising junior but a genuine international contender in the making. Performances like 16.63m in strong fields bring not just confidence but credibility both for the athlete and for Indian athletics as a whole. As India looks ahead to major multi-sport events and championships over the next Olympic cycle, having a young triple jumper already performing in the mid-16-metre range gives selectors and coaches something tangible to build around.
The DeLoss Dodds Invitational was not about medals alone for Selva Prabhu. It was about testing himself against the best, refining his competition rhythm, and proving that he belongs in this company. On all three counts, he delivered.
With the indoor season now gathering pace, he will have more opportunities to chase longer jumps, stronger consistency, and perhaps even threaten his own national record. For now, though, the 16.63m runner-up finish in Manhattan stands as another important milestone in a rapidly rising career. Indian athletics has a new name to watch in the triple jump and Selva Prabhu is showing, one leap at a time, that he is ready for the global stage.
