Keralite Eldhose Paul became the first Indian to qualify for the triple jump finals at the World Championships with an effort of 16.68m at Eugene, Oregon, on Thursday night.

The 25-year-old from Ernakulam finished sixth in Group A qualification round.

His best of 16.68m was 12th overall to make the cut for Saturday's final (Sunday 6.50 am IST).

Paul reached Eugene just a few days ago due to visa issues.

He has a personal best of 16.99m which he achieved while winning gold in the Federation Cup at Kozhikode in April.

Paul is employed with the Indian Navy and represents Services in the domestic competitions.He's being trained by M Harikrishnan at the Sports Authority of India (SAI), Bengaluru.

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Paul is a product of Dronacharya T P Ouseph and made his mark while studying at Mar Athanasius College, Kothamangalam,

Paul and fellow Kerala triple jumpers Karthik Unnikrishnan and Abdulla Aboobacker are close friends. Aboobacker failed to qualify for the Worlds finals with a best jump of 16.45m.

Karthik and Abdulla are employed with the Air Force and trains with Paul at SAI, Bengaluru.

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(With inputs from PTI)

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