Gargi Raut
India’s long jump athlete Murali Sreeshankar, after a streak of consistent performances that booked him a quota at the 2024 Olympics, had to miss out on his 15 year-old Olympic dream following a freak accident. With less than a 100 days left for the much anticipated Paris Olympics, Sreeshankar was performing a regular routine when he made an awkward landing and ruptured a tendon in his knee, an injury that destroyed the hopes of an Olympic medal, one that Murali was in strong contention for.
Following the injury, Shreeshankar had to undergo a major surgery that was performed in Doha.
In welcome news, it has now been confirmed that Murali is all set to return to action on the 28th of June at the India Open in Bengaluru. Murali, speaking exclusively to Revsportz, confirmed that he has recovered from the surgery and is now injury free. Sreeshankar has his eyes set on a strong comeback in Bangalore. His father, however, wants to be a little more cautious and eyeing a July comeback.
While Murali is an athlete with a steely mindset, Neeraj Chopra, who breached the 90m mark at the Diamond League in Doha last night was also a catalyst behind Murali’s motivation for the pursuit of excellence.
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Murali revealed that it was Neeraj who sat him down and said the following, “Our dreams are never fulfilled, we are different compared to cricketers and footballers. For them the ultimate prize is the World Cup, for us it’s never about a trophy or a medal, it’s about the distance. That’s why the dream is never fulfilled. You are always chasing the next personal best. So if the 90 meter is breached the next aim is 90.01 or 90.02. For you it will be 8.40 or 8.41 or 8.42 meters”.
Murali has been out of competitions since before the Paris Olympics, and it is inspiring to watch the 26 year old make a comeback from what many would have perceived a ‘career-ending’ injury.