Who is India's ace long jumper Murali Sreeshankar? Details here
India's ace long jumper Murali Sreeshankar registered another spectacular performance by winning silver at the Asian Athletics Championships 2023. His exceptional performance helped him qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The youngster from Kerala becomes the first field athlete from India to make it to the Paris Olympics next year. Sreeshankar's leap of 8.37m helped him clinch the silver medal and the qualification.
Sreeshankar clinches silver at Asian Athletics Championships
Sreeshankar won the silver medal at the men's long jump event in Asian Athletics Championship 2023. The 24-year-old's best effort of 8.37m was 0.4m below his personal best. However, it wasn't enough to beat Chinese Taipei's Yu Tan Lin (8.40m). But it was more than enough in qualifying for the Olympics which is 8.27m. He won India's 12th medal at the event in Bangkok.
Who is Murali Sreeshankar?
Sreeshankar was born on March 27, 1999. The youngster hails from Palakkad in Kerala and is one of India's finest talents in athletics. Sreeshankar is coached by his father S. Murali, who is a silver medallist at South Asian Games in the triple jump. He started as a sprinter and later realized his potential in the long jump. He made the switch aged 13.
A missed opportunity at the 2018 Commonwealth Games
Sreeshankar cleared a 7.99m jump in the Federation Cup in March 2018 and was named in the Indian contingent for the Commonwealth Games. But luck had other ideas as he pulled out 10 days before the event due to appendicitis. After going through an emergency appendix surgery, he was on a liquid diet and lost weight drastically and was unable to walk properly.
Bronze at the 2018 Asian Junior Athletics Championships
Despite weakness and inability to walk, Sreeshankar gathered his courage and trained hard for the upcoming Asian Junior Athletics meet. He managed a leap of 7.47m to bag the bronze medal at the event despite many adversities.
Struggle in Asian Games, but breaks the national record
Sreeshankar's problems were endless as he struggled in another big event. This time, he had a tough time with his run-up at the 2018 Asian Games and finished sixth in the final with a jump of 7.95m. However, in September 2018, he broke the then-national record in Bhubaneswar with a leap of 8.20m. It was the then world-leading jump of the season among U-20s.
Disappointment at the 2019 World Championships
With his 8.20m jump, he became the first Indian athlete to qualify for the 2019 World Athletics Championships. But he failed there miserably as his leap of 7.62m was not enough to make it to the final. The qualification mark to qualify for the finals was set at 8.15m. Sreeshankar was still getting used to this level of competitiveness in this event.
The Tokyo Olympics
His 8.26m jump, which was the new national record helped him to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He registered the jump at the 2021 Federation Cup in Patiala. It was a big moment for the athlete to make it to the Olympics. However, the youngster fizzled out under pressure as he could only manage a jump of 7.96m and finished seventh.
Gold medal at the International Jumping Meet in Greece
The Indian long jumper bagged the gold medal at the International Jumping Meet in Greece. Sreeshankar shocked the Indoor Worlds silver medallist Thobias Montler to win the event with a leap of 8.31m. It was his first overseas event after the Tokyo Olympics.
The 2022 World Championships and Commonwealth Games
It was a topsy-turvy ride for Sreeshankar last year as he finished seventh at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. His best effort was 7.96m in the finals. However, his fortunes changed when he won the silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham with a leap of 8.08m. He became the first Indian male long jumper to win the silver medal at the Games.
Podium finish at the 2023 Paris Diamond League
Sreeshankar finally delivered his potential when he finished third in the 2023 Paris Diamond League with an impressive jump of 8.09m. In between he registered his personal best of 8.41m to win gold at the National Inter-State Athletics Championships. In the 2023 Lausanne Diamond League, the 24-year-old could only manage a fifth-placed finish. His best effort was a jump of 7.88m.
