Indian long jumper Murali Sreeshankar is reportedly out of the race for the Paris Olympics 2024 after sustaining a knee injury.
Indian Olympic team has suffered a major stumbling block in its attempt to send a strong contingent to the forthcoming Paris Olympics. India’s poster boy of long jump, Murali Sreeshankar is reportedly out of the race for the Paris Olympics 2024 after sustaining a knee injury. Although the actual reason of the injury is unknown, it is speculated that Sreeshankar sustained the injury during a training session.
“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,” Sreeshankar posted on his Instagram handle.
Sreeshankar, sliver medallist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, had a memorable 2023 season. In that season he finished second at the Hangzhou Asian Games apart from the aforementioned silver in Bangkok. The Kerala athlete made the cut for 2020 Olympics too but had a tough time in Tokyo before bouncing back in subsequent seasons. At the 2022 World Championships, he qualified for the final in Oregon.
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“To wake up healthy every single day, and watch yourself get into the best shape of your life, is every athlete’s dream. I was living it, until this incident. Life writes strange scripts, and sometimes there is courage in accepting it and moving on. That’s what I will do. My journey to a comeback began the minute I injured my knee This road is going to be long, difficult and will take a lot out of me. The good thing is, I have a lot to give. I will overcome this, because that’s what Mamba Mentality is all about,” Sreeshankar wrote.
Sreeshankar ended by saying “I will need your prayers, love and positive energy. I may jump alone, but it takes a collective push before every leap. This is my biggest one yet,” he signed off.
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Thirteen Indian athletes have met the qualification standard in track and field events for the Paris Olympics. Each National Olympic Committee can only send three athletes per event per gender. In the case of the men’s 20km race walk, seven athletes have met the qualification standard set by World Athletics.
The full list of the athletes who have met the qualification standard is as follows:
| Athlete | Sport | Status |
| Murali Sreeshankar** | Men’s long jump | Direct qualification |
| Priyanka Goswami | Women’s 20km race walk | Direct qualification |
| Avinash Sable | Men’s 3000m steeplechase | Direct qualification |
| Neeraj Chopra | Men’s javelin throw | Direct qualification |
| Kishore Kumar Jena | Men’s javelin throw | Direct qualification |
| Parul Chaudhary | Women’s 3000m steeplechase | Direct qualification |
| Akshdeep Singh* | Men’s 20km race walk | Direct qualification |
| Vikas Singh* | Men’s 20km race walk | Direct qualification |
| Paramjeet Bisht* | Men’s 20km race walk | Direct qualification |
| Suraj Panwar* | Men’s 20km race walk | Direct qualification |
| Servin Sebastian* | Men’s 20km race walk | Direct qualification |
| Arshpreet Singh* | Men’s 20km race walk | Direct qualification |
| Ram Baboo* | Men’s 20km race walk | Direct qualification |
** Murali Sreeshankar is out of the Paris Olympics 2024 due to a knee injury
* The final decision for the final contingent of Paris will be taken by AFI/IOA.
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