Star Indian long jumper Murali Sreeshankar clinched the long jump title with a leap of 7.75m at the Meeting Maia Cidade do Desporto in Maia, Portugal, a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze-level meet.

The Asian Games silver medallist registered his best effort in the second round on Saturday night. Sreeshankar opened with a 7.63m jump, improved to his winning mark of 7.75m in the second round, and then recorded a solid 7.69m. His third attempt was a foul, while his final two jumps measured 6.12m and 7.58m.

Poland’s Piotr Tarkowski matched Sreeshankar’s 7.75m leap but his second-best effort of 7.58m fell short of the Indian’s 7.69m. According to World Athletics rules, if two competitors tie, their second-longest legal jump is used as a tie-breaker.

The meet marked the 26-year-old’s second outing since returning from a long injury lay-off following knee surgery. He had announced his comeback with a solid 8.05m win at the Indian Open Athletics Meet earlier this month.

Sreeshankar will now aim to qualify for the World Championships in Tokyo in September, for which the direct qualifying distance is 8.27m.

The Commonwealth Games silver medallist will compete in Europe and Central Asia till August 14, with the government approving Rs 5.58 lakh for his training and competition expenses.

In 2023, the Kerala athlete became only the third Indian to finish in the top three at a Diamond League Meeting — after Vikas Gowda and Neeraj Chopra — with a third-place finish in Paris. However, his Olympic hopes were dashed after an injury early in the 2024 season.