CWG 2026: Long Jumper Murali Sreeshankar settles for silver yet again as Lokesh Sathyanathan finishes fifth

Weeks before the Commonwealth Games got underway, Murali Sreeshankar knew that if he wanted to win gold, he would have to overcome one of the finest long jumpers in the world — Jamaica’s Tajay Gayle, a three-time World Championships medallist.

The 29-year-old Jamaican, renowned for his explosive take-offs and ability to produce big jumps under pressure, was the man to beat, and Sreeshankar was well aware of the challenge. Competing in tricky conditions, with the temperature hovering below 17 degrees at the Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow on Wednesday (July 29, 2026) night, the Indian produced a best effort of 8.09m. It earned the 27-year-old, whose season’s best stood at 8.38m, the silver medal, while Gayle clinched gold with a leap of 8.15m. Stephen Mackenzie of Scotland emerged third with a jump of 8.08m as Lokesh Sathyanathan of India finished fifth with a leap of 7.97m.