Murali Sreeshankar: CWG silver is a breakthrough

Long jumper Sreeshankar keen to repeat Birmingham form at National Games with view on ’24 Paris Olympics

Long jumper Murali Sreeshankar considers the Commonwealth Games silver medal as a “breakthrough” in his career, and says the podium finish in Birmingham has provided him the perfect impetus to lift his performance to the next level.

Sreeshankar clinched the silver in men’s long jump in this year’s Birmingham CWG with an effort of 8.08m.

He is representing Kerala at the National Games which started with the table tennis event in Gujarat on Tuesday.

‘Great learning experience’

“The season has been a great learning experience for me. I have been competing since March and to maintain the kind of performance till August-September, honestly it was very difficult. There was a lot of travelling, we had to adjust to various climatic conditions and then competing with the best in the world,” he said in a virtual press conference on Tuesday.

“I had a kind of breakthrough in my career with the silver medal at the Commonwealth Games. My ranking has also improved a lot. I was somewhere around 60s when the season was about to begin. From here I have to build, Paris [Olympics] is just two years away and I am sure I will be able to build from here.”

Sreeshankar said featuring consistently at top international events, like the Diamond Leagues, will be his focus going forward.

“Next season I am expecting to be more consistent in the international circuit, more frequent in the Diamond League circuit. To get there at the top is difficult, but I am sure it is possible with more international exposure,” he said.

Also Read: Winning a medal in Commonwealth Games 2022 feels great: Murali Sreeshankar

Medals are morale boosters

“Asian Games, CWG, National Games all these competitions are build-up towards Paris Olympics. Medals in these events will definitely boost my morale ahead of Paris. I want to continue the same momentum in the Asian Games.”

The long jumper, 23, from Palakkad in Kerala is expecting a tough competition in the National Games, especially in jump events. “For jumpers the National Games is not a cake walk. We have three jumpers above 8.15.  We have to think every national championships like a world level tournament, because the competition is very high,” he said.

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