Selva Prabhu believes food poisoning cost him Commonwealth Games gold

India's Selva Prabhu Thirumaran competes in the men's triple jump final at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Selva Prabhu believes food poisoning cost him a chance to win gold in Glasgow, saying a jump close to his personal best would have been enough to finish on top of the podium. Selva won bronze in the men's triple jump with a best effort of 16.52m, finishing behind fellow Indian Praveen Chithravel (16.58m) and Scotland's Jordon Scott (16.72m). "I wish I should have gotten that gold. I was really hoping for gold but what can be done when the competition begins, there is illness and food poisoning. I feel that in the end, there is always a cost to yourself. I am mentally tough so I decided, whatever happens, I will do it. Keep pushing myself," Selva told news agency PTI after returning from Glasgow on Monday. The Tamil Nadu athlete said the illness affected his performance and felt he missed a good opportunity, as a jump close to his personal best of 17.05m would have been enough to win the event.

"I should have stayed healthy, but it's for the next time I'm always ready. I can compete more, stay healthy. It's about the stage. I have the consistency. It's all about that particular day. I just always want to stay healthy. Now, I want to work on my approach. Once I get the hang of it, I can do it," he said. When asked about the upcoming Asian Games, Selva said his focus remains on taking one step at a time. "I live each day. Each day requires a new performance. You just cannot target a gold like that. Yes, I am now looking forward to qualifying for the Asian Games first and then taking it from there," he said. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) is yet to announce the Indian team for the Asian Games in Japan.