The 22-year-old said that he was focusing on the mental aspect of the competition as there will be immense pressure at The Games.
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Tokyo-bound Indian long-jumper Murali Sreeshankar has his eyes set on the Olympic Games. He said that he was optimistic heading into the tournament and that he was working on improving his game. Sreeshankar had qualified for The Games back in March after improving his personal record during the Federation Cup Senior National Athletics Championships in Patiala. He jumped an impressive 8.26m during the competition. The 22-year-old is confident of his chances in Tokyo and said that he was looking to take part in competitions abroad ahead of his game.
“Immediately after Federation Cup, we listed/pointed out all my drawbacks, in the sense what are the technicalities I am lagging behind. We coordinated everything and we are working on that,” Sreeshankar said during a press conference organized by the Sports Authority of India (SAI). “Everything is looking fine. Only concern is since travel restrictions are imposed on Indian athletes, we are not able to compete and train abroad. It’s a big challenge and I will face it and overcome it,” he added.
The Kerala-based athlete said that he would participate in a few competitions in the Asian circuit, if not European. He is hopeful of at least three to four such competitions ahead of The Games.
“I am hopeful of getting at least three-four competitions ahead of the Olympics so that all the fine-tuning process takes place perfectly and get ready for the big leap in Tokyo,” he said. He is currently training with his father at the Government Medical College ground at Palakkad in Kerala. His father is a former triple jumper.
“I am improving my performance factors, the parameters are getting improved, every time getting one step closer to that big target. We have 60-65 days for the Olympics. I have got a good time to sharpen my skills, provided I get good competitions,” Sreeshankar said.
The 22-year-old said that he was focusing on the mental aspect of the competition as well as there will be immense pressure at The Games. He is working with a psychologist provided by SAI. “Mental aspect will be important, there will be mental pressure, but I am finding out a way to perform (well). I have to be strong in mental aspect to be at (my) best at Tokyo,” he said.
