Sandra Babu’s triumph turns into agony at Inter-State Championships 2025

Sandra Babu’s victory in the women’s triple jump event at the Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships 2025 in Chennai on Wednesday night came with a dramatic and painful twist.

The Kerala athlete had already secured the top position before her last attempt when disaster struck.

Sandra recorded a best jump of 13.20m on her second attempt, which proved enough to claim the gold medal. Her series read: 13.16, 13.20, Foul, Foul, Foul.

Despite this dominant show, her final attempt ended in heartbreak when she fell heavily on her knees after landing and almost immediately let out a cry of pain. The stadium was stunned as she lay on the track, clutching her knee, writhing in agony.

Athletes and judges rushed to assist her, but without a medical team in close proximity, they were helpless. It took several minutes before a medical personnel arrived with a stretcher.

“The injury looked horrible and is a knee dislocation by the looks of it,” an onlooker, who is also a former athlete, told The Bridge.

Sandra was subsequently stretched away to an ambulance, which whisked her away to a hospital.

The competition was tight, with Kerala's Aleena Saji (13.15m) and Punjab's Niharika Vashisht (13.09m) winning silver and bronze respectively.

Despite the shocking end to her competition, Sandra’s earlier jumps had already secured her the gold medal, making her the champion of the event. The official confirmation of her victory came even as she was being taken off the track on a stretcher, leaving everyone present with mixed feelings.