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Indian long jumper Murali Sreeshankar believes that anything above the 8.35m-mark will serve him a realistic chance of bagging a Tokyo Olympics medal. The 22-year-old made the Tokyo Olympics cut in March earlier this year with a personal best leap of 8.26m at the Federation Cup in Patiala.
Currently in his final year of graduation, Murali Sreeshankar is continuing with his training at the Government Medical College ground in Palakkad. Despite the ongoing lockdown in Kerala, he has acquired permission from the state government to train so that his preparations for the Tokyo Olympics don’t get hampered.
With his father, a former triple jumper, being his coach, Murali Sreeshankar is putting in the hard yards to cross the 8.35m at the Tokyo Olympics. He is also learning to deal with the mental pressures that will play a big role at the Games.
“To be realistic, my aim would be to jump 8.35m-plus. Anything between 8.35m and 8.40m is what my dad has figured out for me and day by day the parameters are improving. Every time it’s one step closer to the big target,” Murali Sreeshankar told reporters in a virtual media interaction facilitated by the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
“The mental aspect is also a much decisive factor towards the Tokyo Olympics because it’s my fourth major competition I am going to take part in. I am confident in my abilities. It’s just that I need to be strong in my mental aspect to be at the best in Tokyo,” added Murali Sreeshankar, who is also gearing up for his final examinations in a month’s time.
Dissecting how he is approaching the 8.35m leap, Murali Sreeshankar said a lot of factors need to be taken into account. While a lot depends on individual abilities, the atmosphere and the quality of the tracks used on the day also come into play for a big leap.
“The track in Patiala is not as fast as most of the tracks around the world. Mondo track, which is probably the fastest in the world, will be used in Tokyo. When I jumped 8.20m, everything was super smooth. And then when I jumped 8.26m in Patiala, I felt that my capabilities have improved,” he explained.
“If you ask me I would say that I was able to jump 8.26m because of my overall improvement and not because of the outside conditions or the atmosphere. Once those parameters (track, atmosphere, others) come perfectly well, the speed and the approach automatically will be quite faster. I will be able to put much more velocity during the take off to cover a bigger distance," he added.
Murali Sreeshankar hopes to get 3-4 events before Tokyo Olympics
Like several Tokyo Olympics-bound Indian athletes, Murali Sreeshankar also wants international competition before appearing at the big-ticket event. He is currently hopeful of getting some game time in Asia, if not Europe.
If that doesn’t pan out according to plans, Sreeshankar will be competing at the Indian Grand Prix IV and the National Inter-State meet next month.
“I am hopeful of getting at-least three-four competitions ahead of the Olympics, so that all the fine-tuning process takes place perfectly to get ready for the big leap in Tokyo.
“If I jump in the domestic circuit, it is also a big help for me. We have an 8m jumper here, two guys who are 7.90m, so it is a competitive atmosphere for me," concluded Murali Sreeshankar.
