Ahead of World C'ships, long jumper Aldrin bags gold in Bern event

World's season leader long jumper Jeswin Aldrin produced his best performance in five months as he cleared 8.22m to win gold in the CITIUS Meeting in Bern, Switzerland.

This was Aldrin's fourth career-best performance.

The 21-year-old Aldrin had jumped 8.42m, the best in the world so far this season, during the National Open Jumps Competition at Bellary on March 2 and then had two 8m-plus efforts in Havana, Cuba in May.

After that, he has been struggling to touch the 8m mark before Friday's 8.22m. He has also been plagued with injury.

The CITIUS Meeting in Bern is a World Athletics Tour bronze level event.

Aldrin, who won a silver medal in the National Inter-State Championships in June in Bhubaneswar with a jump of 7.98m, has qualified for the World Athletics Championships (August 19-27) in Budapest, Hungary.

He did not participate in the Asian Championships in July due to lack of fitness.