Abdulla Aboobacker Blames Lack of Exposure to Mondotrack for Paris Olympics Failure

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Indian triple jumper Abdulla Aboobacker opened up about his missed medal opportunity and his future aspirations after a disappointing show at the Paris Olympics

The 28-year-old athlete, who is a former gold medalist at the Asian Athletics Championships and also a former silver medalist at the Commonwealth Games, finished 21st in the men's triple jump qualification round with a weak attempt of 16.49 metre while Spain's Jordan Diaz took the gold medal in the final with an attempt of 17.86m.

Compatriot and national record holder Praveen Chithravel was a no-show as well with a jump of 16.25m from his three attempts. However, Aboobacker remains confident despite the poor show by the Indians and is hopeful of making a strong comeback at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. In an interview with myKhel, Abdulla shared his thoughts on what went wrong and his plans moving forward.

"I wanted to perform well in Paris, but the track there affected my performance, said Abdulla. "It wasn't the synthetic track we have in India but a Mondotrack. This was my first time competing on such a track. In India, only JSW (in Vijayanagar, Karnataka) has a similar track, but we didn't have the option to train there (Aboobacker trained at the national camp in Thiruvananthapuram).

"I was supposed to train in Poland just before the Olympics, but due to visa issues with my coach, it didn't happen. That's why I couldn't perform well on the Mondotrack in Paris."

Mondotrack is a high-performance track surface developed by the Italian company Mondo, widely used in championship athletic events since the 1980s. Unlike traditional track surfaces that use particles stuck in place, Mondotrack is made from a rubber-like material, cut to size, and seamlessly joined together along the lane lines.

This construction provides consistent energy return and superior traction, making it one of the most advanced and costly track systems available. Mondotrack has been featured in several Olympic Games, including the last five Olympics.

While foreign conditions have often been a challenge for Indian athletes, it wasn't the case for Aboobacker, who bagged the CWG silver medal in the chilly cold weather of Birmingham two years ago. It was the lack of Mondotrack exposure that bothered him.

"The weather in Paris wasn't a challenge; it was similar to Bengaluru's climate. So, I didn't face any other issues while competing there. The track was the only reason I couldn't deliver the performance I had hoped for. If we could build similar tracks here in preparation for future Olympics, I believe it would significantly improve our performance."

"While Mondotracks may not affect sprinters much, they pose a challenge in the triple jump because we have to make three ground contacts. There's no other event that requires this many ground contacts," Abdulla explained.

However, it's worth pointing out that Abdulla Aboobacker had a poor build-up in the season to Paris 2024 with just one 17m jump in the entire season. Notably, his personal best is 17.19m from the 2022 season.

Upon his Paris heartbreak, the triple jumper has decided to take some time off the track while he has already chalked out his plan for the next Olympic cycle of Los Angeles 2028.

"The Asian Athletics Championship is scheduled for next year. I won the gold in the last edition (2023 Asian Athletics Championship). After that, we have the World Championship (2025), Asian Games and Commonwealth Games (both 2026). After the Olympics, I'm currently on a break.

"In about 10-20 days, I'll start preparing for the upcoming championships. Although the SAFF Games are happening in India this year, I won't be competing since it's not as significant. My next major goal is the World Championship. Winning the Asian Championship will also secure a spot in the World Championship but everything leads to 2028 Olympics," Abdulla concluded.