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CWG medalist Murali Sreeshankar gears up for busy schedule

Murali Sreeshankar will be heading to Paris for the fourth leg of the Diamond League which is set to be held on June 9, 2023.

By Abhiruchi Rout | Jun 1, 2023 | 3 Min Read

The Commonwealth Games (CWG) silver medalist Murali Sreeshankar from India added another accomplishment to his feat by winning the gold medal at the International Jumping Meet 2023 in Kallithea, Greece, with a jump of 8.18m. Sreeshankar shared insights into the strategy that he followed during the meeting in Greece. “I didn’t quite intend to push this hard, but of course, 8.20m was my target for this competition. I had competed in two meets prior as preparatory competitions to check where my body stood at that time. The competitive phase of the season has just started. So, I didn’t want to push that hard, but of course, since 8.20m was my target for this competition, I wanted to hit my target, ” said the Indian long jumper.

Although Murali Sreeshankar’s target was 8.20m, he attained an 8.18m mark in the Greece meeting. He then discussed the reasons behind his difficulties in achieving the personal target he had established for the competition. He said, “The wind played a major part on the day and this was the first time in Kallithea that we faced a headwind. Usually, we have a good tailwind and the day before when we had the warm-up, the conditions were quite ideal. I was not quite able to get into my rhythm, so I had to keep my approach more in front because I was lacking some speed also.”

Competition with Jeswin Aldrin

On being asked about his competition with national record holder Jeswin Aldrin, Murali Sreeshankar shared a healthy competition with his compatriot. “Jeswin had an incredible jump of 8.42m, which not only set the tone for Indian jumpers but also for all the jumpers in the world. This healthy competition will of course help all the other jumpers rise and improve our own performances. It’s very important that during this period of time, we get to compete with each other at international competitions to gain more international exposure with top athletes from around the world. We want to get prepared for the big stage events like the World Championships and Asian Games which are lined up for this year,” said Sreeshankar.

Sreeshankar’s next destination is Diamond League in Paris

Murali Sreeshankar will be heading to Paris for the fourth leg of the Diamond League which is set to be held on June 9, 2023. The Wanda Diamond League 2023 series features many top athletes of the world whose aim is to ultimately claim the coveted Diamond League trophy. S. Murali, who is the father and coach of the Indian long jumper, said about his son’s busy competition schedule.

The former triple jumper stated, “This season is pretty challenging because the Asian Games will be happening in the first week of October and the Asian Games qualifiers will take place in the first week of June. So, we have to plan the season very carefully so that we could maintain the form and sustain the performances till the Asian Games. We have the World Championships in August, the Asian Championships in July, so we have to prioritize the kind of events which we have to focus on and give our best towards the main competition, which will be the World Championships.”

In his concluding statement, Sreeshankar outlined his areas of focus for reaching his optimum performance level. He emphasized the need for perfecting his approach rhythm, which he felt was slightly off during his initial competition in Kallithea. As he moves forward, the Indian athlete plans to work on refining the last segment of his approach and overall rhythm, which he believes will lead to better execution of his take-off during jumps. He anticipates that with the upcoming competitions, he will gradually acclimatize both his body and mind to the competitive environment, allowing him to deliver increasingly powerful jumps.