Indian Long Jumper Lokesh Sathyanathan Clinches NCAA Gold with Record Leap

Young Indian athlete Lokesh Sathyanathan created history by winning the men’s long jump gold at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas. His leap of 8.21m not only secured the top podium spot but also set a new indoor national record , placing him third on India’s all-time list , behind Jeswin Aldrin (8.42m) and Murali Sreeshankar (8.41m) .

Representing Tarleton State University , Lokesh achieved the mark on his fourth attempt , narrowly surpassing De’Aundre Ward of the University of Southern Mississippi, who jumped 8.20m , while Tafadzwa Chikomba of Kansas State University finished third with 8.15m .

This achievement makes Lokesh only the fourth Indian to win at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships , following legends Mohinder Singh Gill, Vikas Gowda, and Tejaswin Shankar .

Reflecting on his journey, Lokesh expressed gratitude to God, his late mother, and his coach Carter , calling them central to his success. He dedicated the win to his mother , who passed away in 2021 during the COVID-19 second wave , and whose encouragement to “follow your dreams” inspired him to persevere. Coming from an athletic family—his father was a footballer and his sister a national-level 400m runner —Lokesh said the medal was a culmination of years of dedication.

A season ago, he had finished fifth at NCAA Outdoors , and his personal best prior to this event was 8.02m . Lokesh has also represented India at the 2018 World Athletics U20 Championships and won multiple junior national titles .

Describing Fayetteville as a “special venue,” he recalled achieving a previous personal best there during an invitational indoor meet. “My coach always believed in me,” he said. “Now, here we are winning national titles, and I am thankful to God and my team for their hard work and support.”

With this breakthrough, Lokesh looks ahead to bigger challenges on the global stage, confident that his career in athletics is just beginning .