Adapting to elements of nature is a key aspect of training these days, says Tokyo Olympian Murali Sreeshankar

For Indian Olympian Murali Sreeshankar, being in very different climates has become a normal experience. From having cheese and bean burritos in Texas, to competing in cold and windy conditions in Chula Vista, the long jumper has been through it all.

To fine-tune his technique, the talented long jumper is practising under coach Keith Herston at the Tech University in Texas.

In preparation for the 2023 Budapest World Athletics Championships and Hangzhou Asian Games in China, Sreeshankar competed in an event at Chula Vista last weekend. He won gold there with a jump of 8.29m.

“Adapting to elements of nature is an important aspect of training these days,” Sreeshankar told Sportskeeda over the phone from Chula Vista. “Enjoying local cuisine is also part of growing up.”

During the long jump competition in Chula Vista, Murali Sreeshankar had to battle cold and windy conditions. The elements of nature robbed the Indian long jumper of a ticket to the Budapest World Athletics Championships, scheduled to be held in Hungary from August 17 to 29.

“The gold medal performance (8.29m) in Chula Vista on Sunday (April 30) was better than the world qualification mark of 8.25m, but it was wind aided,” the international jumper explained. “Now, I’ve to achieve a world qualification mark during European exposure tour next month.”

Next week, he will fly to Europe and will train and compete in Greece for at least four weeks.

According to Murali Sreeshankar, his main focus in Texas has been improving his technique as he has been over-striding the last three steps before the take-off board, which wasn’t productive. The coach in Texas advised him to shorten the last three strides before the take-off board.

“I am learning to adjust to the new technique. It's been nearly three weeks, but I’ve started reaping the benefit,” Sreeshankar stated.

Murali Sreeshankar's growth as an athlete

From being a raw talent in 2019 to becoming an accomplished athlete in 2023, Sreeshankar believes it is all part of growing up to survive in the cut-throat competitive world.

At the 2019 Doha World Athletics Championships, Sreeshankar was, quite visibly, a nervous young athlete. He was also criticized for not repeating his home performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games held in Japan in 2021. But that is all in the past.

Sreeshankar has grown in stature since then. Competing at the 2022 World Athletics Championships and winning silver at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games has made him tougher. He also finished sixth in the Monaco Diamond League.

Murali Sreeshankar will be one of the top Indian athletes competing in as many as three Diamond League competitions in Europe. India’s Olympic champion in javelin throw, Neeraj Chopra, will also be seen in action during the Diamond League competition.

The Kerala native also plans to compete at the Asian Athletics Championships scheduled to be held in July in Thailand.

“I am slowly and gradually learning the art of adaptation. It is a key element to performance at the world level,” Sreeshankar added.