Abhijit Deshmukh, Pune
A bit of wind, a bit of the sun — it was almost perfect weather for a long jumper. On a busy Saturday afternoon, hundreds gathered at Pune’s Savitribai Phule University Sports Complex to witness the return of the Commonwealth Games, and the Asian Games medallist Murali Sreeshankar at the Indian Open Athletics Meet.
Every time Sreeshankar stepped onto the track, he received massive support from the crowd, which clapped in rhythm to lift him. He opened with a 7.84m jump, but the moment of the day came after his fourth attempt. Sreeshankar knew it was a good one — definitely over 8 metres. When officials announced “8.05m”, Sreeshankar raised both arms and turned to the crowd, shouting: “We are back!”
He went on to take the first place, but for Sreeshankar, this was never about finishing first. It was about the comeback.
About 18 months ago, Sreeshankar suffered a patellar tendon rupture — a severe injury in which the tendon connecting the kneecap (patella) to the shinbone (tibia) tore completely. The tendon is crucial for straightening the knee and enabling explosive movements like running, jumping and landing — essential for long jumpers. Often considered a career-ending injury, it requires complex surgery and a long, uncertain rehabilitation.
In an exclusive interview with RevSportz, Sreeshankar spoke about the road back — his recovery, motivation, and the people who made it possible.
“I’m really happy,” he said after the event. “This wasn’t about the distance or the position — it was about being myself again. Just coming back to the track and doing what I love the most.”
The 26-year-old, who had qualified for the Paris Olympics before the injury, underwent surgery at Aspetar Hospital in Qatar. “My tendon was completely ruptured, and part of the patella bone had chipped off. Some doctors said I’d never compete again — that I should just focus on walking. It was devastating,” he recalled.
But he never gave up. With support from the Athletics Federation of India, the Target Olympic Podium Scheme, JSW Sports and his team, including strength and conditioning coach Dr Wayne Lombard, he began the long road to recovery.
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“I have a new knee now,” he said. “They reattached the tendon, did augmentation and put three screws in my kneecap. It’s like a baby knee — I have to take care of it, ice it regularly, do rehab exercises. Things are harder now, but I’ve accepted that.”
Despite limited jump training, his 8.05m leap is a strong start. “I was nervous. I hadn’t competed since the 2023 Asian Games. But just being among athletes again, wearing my spikes — that itself feels like a win.”
On being asked did he ever doubt he could return? Sreeshankar said: “Yes, there was always a bit of doubt. But I kept saying, ‘You can do it’. Every day was about small, microscopic progress. Last year, around this time, I wasn’t even running.”
Rehabilitation was a tough phase and when asked what motivated him, Sreeshankar replied: “I get motivated even by a young kid saying, ‘Bhaiya, aap karo’. But the turning point came when Tejaswin Shankar called me two days after the injury. I was bedridden with knee straps. He said, ‘Bhai, if anyone can come back from this, it’s you’. So that spark just ignited and that turned around my mindset and everything. And of course like when you hear people say that, no you can’t do it, you want to prove them wrong. It’s fun to prove people wrong. So that was like, my main motivation.”
Now, Sreeshankar will head to Europe for Continental Tour events and he hopes to secure World Championship qualification in Bhubaneswar. But he isn’t putting pressure on himself.
“Right now, I’m not chasing a number. I’m just enjoying being an athlete again. That’s what I missed most.”
For Sreeshankar, 2025 isn’t about medals. It’s about rhythm, joy, belief, and acknowledging those who helped make it happen. From his father and coach S Murali to physio Priyam Singh and the AFI ecosystem, his journey was a collective effort.
And that’s why, after the 8.05m leap, he didn’t say “I’m back.” He said: “We are back.”