Murali Sreeshankar long jump Olympics 2021 preview (31 July) - When and where to watch, timing (IST)

Murali Sreeshankar is India's lone Olympics 2021 long jump representative. The national record holder and sixth top jumper in Asia will be in action at the Games on Saturday, July 31.

Sreeshankar has trained under his father S. Murali, a former triple jump athlete and South Asian Games silver medalist.

Currently 35th in the World Athletics rankings, the 22-year-old has been training at the recently-built synthetic track stadium at Government Medical College in Palakkad.

Sreeshankar's recent achievements

Sreeshankar cleared a 7.99 m jump at the Federation Cup in Patiala and was named for the 2018 Commonwealth Games. However, he had to pull out just 10 days before the Games after being diagnosed with appendicitis.

Following the surgery, he was placed on a liquid diet, which resulted in significant weight loss and an inability to walk properly.

Sreeshankar made a solid comeback at the Asian Junior Athletics Championships two months later, clinching the bronze medal with a jump of 7.47m.

Then, in September, he broke the national record at the National Open Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar with a jump of 8.20m - a world-leading feat that season among Under-20 athletes. It also qualified him for the 2019 World Athletics Championships, where he eventually finished 22nd out of 27 jumpers.

Sreeshankar's Olympic qualification

Sreeshankar broke his own national record with a mark of 8.26m at the 24th Federation Cup Senior Athletics Championships in Patiala this year. That earned him an Olympics 2021 berth.

Just in: After a brainstorming meeting, @afiindia selectors finally decided against withdrawing the entries of long jumper #MSreeshankar and 20km race walking athlete #KTIrfan and let them proceed for #Tokyo2020 1/2@toisports @TOISportsNews @Adille1 pic.twitter.com/vOYlhX4DGF

— Tridib Baparnash ॐ (@TridibIANS) July 23, 2021

Sreeshankar's long jump: Date and time

Sreeshankar will be competing in the men's long jump qualification round on Saturday, July 31. Time: 3:40 pm (IST)

Sreeshankar's long jump events: Live telecast details

The Olympics will be broadcast live in different languages on the Sony Sports Network in India. You can also livestream the event on the SonyLIV app and website. Doordarshan will telecast India's events at the Tokyo Olympics.

You might also like: India in Tokyo Olympics 2021 India Schedule