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Indian long jumper Murali Sreeshankar hopes to ace two major upcoming events - the World Championships and the Commonwealth Games.
The long jumper was touted to have a good run at the Tokyo Olympics last year but had a disappointing campaign.
After a dismal showing in Tokyo, Murali Sreeshankar picked himself up and went back to the drawing board to come back stronger. He re-evaluated his body, and along with his father and coach S. Muralidaran, formulated a revised training program.
Murali Sreeshankar started the 2022 season well, competing in a host of domestic events before getting back to breaching the 8m mark at the highest level.
The athlete rewrote the national record at the Federation Cup in April when he recorded a jump of 8.36m. He then produced his career's second-best jump to win the gold medal at the 12th International Jumping Meeting in Kallithea, Greece, where he recorded a jump of 8.31m.
In his last competitive event - the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in Chennai - Sreeshankar leaped to 8.23m. With the World Athletics Championships and CWG 2022 beckoning, the athlete is in a good frame of mind to take the leap to the podium.
In an interaction facilitated by the Sports Authority of India, Murali Sreeshankar stated he has learned to overcome disappointments and put them behind him. In a response to a question from Sportskeeda, he said:
"I had a bad experience from the Tokyo Olympics, like in terms of distance and in terms of my performance too. All those bad times and the setbacks I had last season have made me mentally tough. It is always said that tough times make tough people, so it has made me quite tough mentally."
The long jumper went on to add:
"I have had support from psychologists from the Sports Authority of India. The psychologist has been helping me since the Olympic season. Whenever I feel like I'm trailing in any of my jumps, I don't feel perplexed or anxious like earlier. I have learned to take everything because I'm well aware of my capabilities and abilities now."
Murali Sreeshankar out to break records again
His impressive performances in the first half of the year have put Murali Sreeshankar back on track. He has his plans clearly chalked out and is gunning to break records, again. Speaking about the same, Sreeshankar said:
"I am confident I’ll do my best. The competition will be high. I’m really optimistic about a medal chance. If I get the rhythm perfectly, I’m sure I’ll certainly get the big distance. I am also eagerly looking forward to competing with Muhammad Anees Yahiya and Jeswin Aldrin at the World Championships.
With God’s grace, all three of us will qualify for the final in Oregon. That’s our ultimate aim. Then, in the final on July 16, we all will be fighting for our medals."
Also read: "It is great to have fellow athletes push each other" - Long jumper Murali Sreeshankar
Any story about athletics in India is incomplete without Neeraj Chopra's contributions. The ace Indian athlete won India's first individual gold medal at the Olympics and has had a telling effect on Indian athletes. Speaking about his compatriot's impact on athletics, Sreeshankar said:
“Neeraj bhaiya’s gold has made a huge impact on Indian athletes. It also made us believe that we are capable of performing well in big events and find our names at the top if we work in the right direction."
Murali Sreeshankar added that a chat with Neeraj Chopra and Indian hockey team goalkeeper PR Sreejesh during the Tokyo Olympics was a game-changer. He concluded:
“Neeraj bhaiya and I shared a room during the Tokyo Olympics. He motivated and supported me after my poor result. He told me that I still have time and I should keep working hard. 'Bhai, I believe in you,’ he told me. It felt great coming from someone like him. After speaking to him and Sreejesh, I got the power to keep going."
Murali Sreeshankar, who is a part of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), will be in action at the World Championships in Oregon on July 15. He will then head to CWG 2022, where the long jump qualification will commence on August 2.
