Indian long jumper Murali Sreeshankar has been ruled out of the upcoming Paris Olympics due to a knee injury he suffered in training. The 25-year-old booked his place in the Games after a silver medal-winning performance in the Asian Athletics Championships. He jumped 8.37 meters to get to the podium and book his place in his second Olympic campaign.
The long jumper put out a long post on Instagram to express his disappointment at the occurrence of the injury. The injury means that he will now be ruled out for the entire 2024 season as it will need surgery. “All my life, I’ve had the courage to look at a setback in the eye, accept situations I can’t change and work hard at dictating the outcomes of those I can. Unfortunately, in what feels like a nightmare, but is a reality, my Paris Olympic Games dream is over,” said the young athlete in an Instagram post.
Sreeshankar registered a 7.69-meter jump in his debut Olympic campaign in Tokyo. His efforts were not enough to take him the the Finals and he finished the event placed 13th.
Murali Sreeshankar has shown a lot of promise over the last couple of years
Murali Sreeshankar has put India on the map when it comes to the long jump event. His triumph at the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games helped him get recognition in the Indian sporting world. He failed to qualify for the World Athletics Championships in 2023 but was set to make his comeback with back-to-back Diamond League Meetings in Shanghai/Suzhou and Doha.
He was expected to be a contender to win a medal for India during the 2024 Olympics. However, his absence means that the track and field quarter will have to find a medal elsewhere. Jeswin Aldrin is another Indian athlete who has shown his talent on the world stage. He made it to the Finals of the long jump event during the World Athletics Championship but has yet to reach the qualifying mark of 8.27 meters.
