Suresh Babu

Suresh Babu excelled in several jumps, winning a total of 15 Indian titles in three distinct events: high jump (six), long jump (three), triple jump (three) and decathlon (three). He debuted internationally at the Munich Olympics, bowing out in the qualification, but did better at the 1974 Asian Games, where he won a bronze in the decathlon. A year later, he became Asian champion in that same discipline. In the long jump, he won gold at the 1978 Asian Games, and bronze in the Commonwealth Games that same year. Babu’s last international medal came in 1979, when he was runner-up at the Asian Championships in the long jump. Although he retired after that performance, he remained involved in athletics as a coach and administrator. He died in 2011 while attending the Indian National Games in Jharkhand.

Personal Best: HJ – 2.09 (1978); LJ – 7.97 (1979); TJ – 16.18 (1976); Dec (1962 tables) – 7380 (1973).