 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1999-03-27)27 March 1999 (age 26) Palakkad,Kerala, India |
| Alma mater | |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) |
| Sport | |
| Rank | 9 (12 October 2023) |
| Event | Long jump |
| Coached by | S. Murali |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personalbest(s) | 8.41 m (Kalinga, 2023) |
Medal record | |
Murali Sreeshankar (born 27 March 1999) is an Indian athlete who competes in thelong jump event. He created anational record of 8.36 metres set in 2022.[2]
In March 2018, Sreeshankar cleared a 7.99 m jump at the Federation Cup inPatiala.[3] He was named in the Indian contingent for the2018 Commonwealth Games but had to pull out 10 days before the April event after being diagnosed withappendicitis.[4] Following an emergency appendix surgery, he was placed on aliquid diet, which resulted in significant weight loss and an inability to walk properly.[5] Two months later, he participated in the2018 Asian Junior Athletics Championships inGifu despite having "less strength, speed and focus" from before the illness and won bronze with a jump of 7.47 metres.[3] At the2018 Asian Games inJakarta, he "struggled with run-up issues"[6] and finished sixth in the final with 7.95 metres.[5]
In September 2018, Sreeshankar broke thenational record at theNational Open Athletics Championships inBhubaneswar 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 the2019 World Athletics Championships scheduled to be held in September–October inDoha.[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 the2020 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 thequalifying round and failed to enter the final.[11]
At the2022 World Athletics Championships, he qualified for the final round and finished seventh with a jump of 7.96 m.[12] At the2022 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 aDiamond League meet.[14]
He qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris by jumping 8.37m to get a silver medal at the 2023 Asian Athletic Championships. But he injured his knee on 16 April 2024 which requires a surgery, and has been ruled of Olympic participation.[15] Later on 26 April 2024, he underwent a successful knee surgery in Doha.[16]
Sreeshankar is coached by his father S. Murali who is a formertriple jump athlete and silver medalist at theSouth Asian Games. Sreeshankar would accompany his father to practice as a four-year-old, when his father noticed his potential as a sprinter.[17] Sreeshankar became a state-level under-10 champion in50 metres and100 metres,[5] but switched fromsprinting to long jump at the age of 13.[18] His motherK. S. Bijimol has won a silver medal in800 metres at the1992 Asian Junior Athletics Championships.[5] His sister Sreeparvathy is aheptathlete.[1] As of August 2019, Sreeshankar is pursuing aBSc in mathematics at theGovernment Victoria College,Palakkad.[1][19]
Sreeshankar is part of the Target Olympic Podium (TOP) scheme started by theMinistry of Youth Affairs and Sports. He is sponsored byJSW Sports and supported by JSW'sInspire Institute of Sport inBellary district,Karnataka.[20]
He was conferred theArjuna Award for 2023.[21][22]
