Commonwealth Games: Murali Sreeshankar eyes Glasgow gold after strong injury comeback

India’s leading long jumper Murali Sreeshankar believes his best is still to come as he prepares for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. After returning from a career-threatening injury, the 27-year-old says he is convinced a “big jump” is just around the corner.

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medallist has rediscovered his rhythm this season after undergoing surgery in 2024. Sreeshankar equalled his personal best of 8.38m at the Inter-State Championships in Bhubaneswar, underlining his successful return.

However, Sreeshankar felt there was more to come despite matching his career-best mark.

“There is something which I feel is that there is a big jump still in me,” Sreeshankar told the media during a virtual interaction.

“Everybody was happy because I got an 8.38m jump in Bhubaneswar. But I certainly felt it was not an 8.38 day. We were just happy because I got my good jump after surgery. There is a big jump which is coming for sure.”

The Kerala athlete said the lengthy rehabilitation period had helped him return stronger than before the injury.

“My physical conditions are back to how they were before the injury, or even much better. My speed has improved, my jumping abilities have improved. It’s just about connecting everything together,” he said.

Sreeshankar’s return has coincided with a rise in the standard of men’s long jump in India, with several athletes crossing the eight-metre mark this season.

“I went into the Inter-State Championships as only the fourth-ranked jumper in India. We have four jumpers above 8.20m and two above 8.30m. The Indian long jump standard has gone up pretty much high,” he said.

“The best is yet to come because now eight meters has become a very normal mark. Earlier it used to be such a huge barrier.”

He also pointed to the broader progress made by Indian athletics this season, with several national records and personal bests across field events.

Ancy Sojan broke Anju Bobby George’s 23-year-old women’s long jump national record with a leap of 6.88m, Sarvesh Kushare cleared 2.31m in the high jump, while Rohit Yadav crossed the 87m mark in the javelin throw.

“If you take the performance index of Indian athletics this year, it’s probably the best ever. We have seen a lot of national records and personal bests. The quality of performances is comparable with global standards in many field events,” Sreeshankar said.

With the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games scheduled within weeks of each other, Sreeshankar said his immediate focus was on Glasgow, where he hopes to improve on the silver medal he won four years ago.

“Last time I won a silver with 8.08m. This time the chances are looking really good to hopefully change the colour of the medal,” he said.

Sreeshankar added that training in Poland had helped him prepare for the Mondo track and weather conditions expected in Scotland.

“I haven’t kept any ceiling for my jump. I’m just trusting the process. Once everything comes together, a big jump is very much possible,” he said.

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