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

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

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medalist rediscovered his rhythm this season after undergoing surgery in 2024. Sreeshankar equaled his personal best of 8.38m at the Bhubaneswar Interstate Championships, underlining his successful comeback.

However, Sreeshankar felt there was more to come despite achieving a career-best mark.

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

“Everybody was happy because I jumped 8.38m in Bhubaneswar. But I definitely felt it wasn’t an 8.38 day. We were just happy because I jumped well after the surgery. There is a big jump to come for sure.”

The Kerala athlete said the long rehabilitation period helped him come back stronger than before the injury.

“My physical condition is back to where it was before the injury, or even much better. My speed has improved, my jumping ability has improved. It’s just a matter of putting it all together,” he said.

Sreeshankar’s comeback coincided with the rise of the men’s long jump standard in India, with several athletes breaking the eight meter mark this season.

“I went to the interstate championship as only the fourth jumper in India. We have four jumpers above 8.20m and two above 8.30m. The Indian standard in long jump has risen very high,” he said.

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

He also pointed to the wider progress that Indian athletics has made this season, with several national records and personal bests across disciplines.

Ancy Sojan breaks Anju Bobby George’s national record in women’s long jump at age 23 with a jump of 6.88m, Sarvesh Kushare cleared 2.31m in the high jump while Rohit Yadav cleared the mark of 87m in the javelin.

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

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

“Last time I won silver with 8.08m. This time the chances of changing the color of the medal are really good,” he said.

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

“I didn’t follow any ceiling for my jump. I just trust the progression. Once everything comes together, a big jump is very possible,” he said.

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Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

21 Jul 2026 20:19 IST