Eldhose Paul is an Indian athlete who competes in Long Jump and Triple Jump. In 2022, he clinched a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham.
Wiki/Biography
Eldhose Paul was born on Thursday, 7 November 1996 (age 26 years; as of 2022) in Kolenchery, Kerala. His zodiac sign is Scorpio. Eldhose did his schooling at Krishnan Elayath Memorial High School, Alangad. Later, he enrolled in the Mar Athanasius College, Kerela to pursue a Bachelor of Arts. However, he dropped out of the course in 2016 to serve in the Indian Navy. Inclined towards sports since childhood, Eldhose participated in numerous inter-school competitions. During his schooling, Eldhose practised long vault at the junior level, where he also won a medal.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 8″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Eldhose Paul belongs to a Christian family in Kerala.
Parents & Siblings
Eldhose’s father, Paulose, is a supplier in a toddy shop. Eldhose lost his mother when he was about four years old. He has a younger brother named Abin Paul. Eldhose’s octogenarian grandmother, Mariyamma, brought him up. In an interview, Eldhose talked about his grandmother and said,
She did everything that a mother does for a child all these years. We are very close and have a strong bond. She brought me up and taught me all values in life. It goes without saying that without her I would not be who I am today.”
Career
Triple Jump
In 2021, Eldhose Paul made his national debut by participating in Indian Grand Prix 4, Patiala. He won a gold medal in the competition. The same year, he won a gold medal in the National Inter State Senior Athletics Ch., Patiala.
Eldhose Paul in National Inter State Senior Athletics Championship
Next, in 2022, he competed in various triple jump competitions like Indian Grand Prix, Thiruvanthapuram, Indian Grand Prix, Bhubaneshwar, and Indian Open Jump Competitions, Thiruvanthapuram. The same year, he made his international debut by participating in XXXII Qosanov Memorial, Almaty. He won a silver medal in the competition. On 21 July 2022, he participated in World Athletics Championships, Oregon 2022, Hayward Field, Eugene, OR. Subsequently, in August 2022, he clinched a gold medal with a jump of 17.03m in the Men’s Triple Jump event at the Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham. His training partner in the Commonwealth Games, Abdulla Aboobacker, won a silver medal with a jump of 17.02.
Eldhose Paul in action at the 2022 Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham
Navy
In 2016, while pursuing his bachelor’s degree, he was selected for the Indian Navy. He immediately joined the Indian Navy owing to his poor financial condition. In an interview, Paul’s childhood coach TP Ouseph talked about Eldhose Paul and said,
I told him to go for the job because it was very important for him financially. When he left him in 2016, he was jumping around 15.75m. He later improved it while at the Indian Navy to above 16m and today he crossed 17m for the first time.”
Medals
Gold
- 2021: National Inter State Senior Athletics Championship, Patiala
- 2021: Indian Grand Prix 4, Patiala
- 2022: Indian Grand Prix, Thiruvanthapuram
- 2022: National Federation Cup, CH Muhammed Koya Stadium, Thenhipalam
- 2022: Indian Open Jumps Competitions, Thiruvanthapuram
- 2022: Commonwealth Games, Birmingham
Eldhose Paul won a gold medal in the 2022 Commonwealth Games
Silver
- 2022: XXXII Qosanov Memorial, Almaty
Bronze
- 2022: Indian Grand Prix, Bhubaneshwar
- 2022: National Inter State Senior Athletics Ch., Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai
Facts/Trivia
- Eldhose Paul is the first Indian to win a gold medal in Men’s Triple Jump at the Commonwealth Games 2022.
- In an interview, Paul’s former coach TP Ouseph talked about Eldhose’s career and said that he initially rejected him for training in the triple jump because of his short height. He quoted,
Paul was brought by an acquaintance of mine for admission at the sports hostel at MAC. It was around 2013. I was the chief coach but I said this boy is very short and he is suitable for triple jump. For a triple jumper, his height was less. Even now, he is around 5 feet 8 inches tall. But after a trial, I found out that he (Paul) has very good speed, elastic body, and explosiveness, so I thought I will give him a try.”
- During Eldhose’s college, he worked on his grandmother’s sawmill for extra pocket money.
- According to Eldhose’s coach, TP Ouseph, Eldhose was not studious, and he wanted to pursue a career in sports because he knew that if he did well in sports he would be able to financially assist his grandmother.
- In an interview, Eldhose Paul talked about his grandmother and shared that his grandmother assisted him in pursuing a career in sports. He said,
When I joined MTM Higher Secondary School, Pampakuda, I started to develop a keen interest in sports. The financial condition at home wasn’t great but my ammachi wholeheartedly supported me when I told her I would like to pursue a career in sports. She had no clue what I was doing but always made sure I got the equipment for training and provided me with the best food. For me, she is super mother.”
