Murali Sreeshankar

Murali Sreeshankar (born 27 March 1999) is an Indian athlete who competes in the long jump event. He created a national record of 8.36 metres set in 2022.[2]

In this Indian name, the name Murali is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Sreeshankar.
M. Sreeshankar
Personal information
Born (1999-03-27) 27 March 1999
Palakkad, Kerala, India
Alma mater
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Sport
Rank9 (12 October 2023)
Event(s)Long jump
Coached byS. Murali
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)8.41 m (Kalinga, 2023)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  India
Asian Games
Silver medal – second place2022 HangzhouLong jump
Commonwealth Games
Silver medal – second place2022 BirminghamLong jump
Asian Junior Athletics Championships
Bronze medal – third place2018 GifuLong jump
Asian Athletics Championships
Silver medal – second place2023 BangkokLong jump

Career

In March 2018, Sreeshankar cleared a 7.99 m jump at the Federation Cup in Patiala.[3] He was named in the Indian contingent for the 2018 Commonwealth Games but had to pull out 10 days before the April event after being diagnosed with appendicitis.[4] Following an emergency appendix surgery, he was placed on a liquid diet, which resulted in significant weight loss and an inability to walk properly.[5] Two months later, he participated in the 2018 Asian Junior Athletics Championships in Gifu despite having "less strength, speed and focus" from before the illness and won bronze with a jump of 7.47 metres.[3] At the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, he "struggled with run-up issues"[6] and finished sixth in the final with 7.95 metres.[5]

In September 2018, Sreeshankar broke the national record at the National Open Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar where he achieved a jump of 8.20 metres. It was also the world leading jump of the season among under-20 athletes[7] and made him the first Indian athlete to qualify for the 2019 World Athletics Championships scheduled to be held in September–October in Doha.[8] At the World Championships, Sreeshankar failed to qualify for the finals, achieving a best leap of 7.62m, with the qualification mark set at 8.15.[9]

Sreeshankar qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics by recording a jump of 8.26m, a new national record, at the Federation Cup in Patiala in March 2021.[10] At the Olympics, he registered a jump of 7.69m in the qualifying round and failed to enter the final.[11]

At the 2022 World Athletics Championships, he qualified for the final round and finished seventh with a jump of 7.96 m.[12] At the 2022 Commonwealth Games, he won the silver medal with a jump of 8.08 metres and became the first male long jumper from India to win a silver medal at the Games.[13]

As of 2022, he was one of the only three Indian athletes that ever made it to the top 3 in a Diamond League meet.[14]

Personal life

Sreeshankar is coached by his father S. Murali who is a former triple jump athlete and silver medalist at the South Asian Games. Sreeshankar would accompany his father to practice as a four-year-old, when his father noticed his potential as a sprinter.[15] Sreeshankar became a state-level under-10 champion in 50 metres and 100 metres,[5] but switched from sprinting to long jump at the age of 13.[16] His mother K. S. Bijimol has won a silver medal in 800 metres at the 1992 Asian Junior Athletics Championships.[5] His sister Sreeparvathy is a heptathlete.[1] As of August 2019, Sreeshankar is pursuing a BSc in mathematics at the Government Victoria College, Palakkad.[1][17]

Sreeshankar is part of the Target Olympic Podium (TOP) scheme started by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. He is sponsored by JSW Sports and supported by JSW's Inspire Institute of Sport in Bellary district, Karnataka.[18]

References
  1. "Breaking furniture, records too!". Sportstar. 24 January 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  2. Kumar, P. K. Ajith (3 April 2022). "Federation Cup: Sreeshankar-Jeswin epic long jump duel lights up day two". Sportstar. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  3. "Long jumper Sreeshankar finds silver lining in Junior Asian bronze". ESPN.in. 12 June 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  4. "Long jumper Sreeshankar's CWG dreams over". The Times of India. 25 March 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  5. "Long jumper M Sreeshankar looks beyond Tokyo Olympics 2020 after impressive run at European circuit". Firstpost. 25 July 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  6. "Sreeshankar gets into 8.50m form, confident of big jumps this season". Sportstar. 22 February 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  7. "Sreeshankar breaks national long-jump record with season's U-20 best in world". The Times of India. 27 September 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  8. "National Open Athletics: Sreeshankar and Anjali first to qualify". The Hindu. 5 December 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  9. "IAAF World Championships: Sreeshankar fails to qualify for final in long jump". India Today. 27 September 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  10. "Long Jump: Sreeshankar sets new national record at Federation Cup, books Tokyo Olympics ticket". India Today. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  11. "Tokyo Olympics long jump: M. Sreeshankar fails to make cut for final". Sportstar. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  12. "World Athletics Championships: Murali Sreeshankar finishes 7th in long jump finals". ESPN. 17 July 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  13. "Murali Sreeshankar bags historic silver in men's long jump with 8.08m attempt at CWG; Muhammed Anees Yahiya finishes 5th". Hindustan Times. 5 August 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  14. "Sreeshankar Murali finishes third in Paris Diamond League". ESPN. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  15. Jeemon Jacob Kochi (10 July 2021). "High flyer | M. Sreeshankar". India Today. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  16. "Long Jump prodigy Sreeshankar, on cusp of 8-metre club, eyes Asian Games and Junior Worlds". The Indian Express. 10 March 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  17. "Journey Has Just Begun, Says Record-holding Long Jumper Murali Sreeshankar". News18. 23 August 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  18. "Longing to jump into international league". The New Indian Express. 6 February 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
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