Long jumper Sreeshankar Murali ruled out of Paris Olympics with knee injury

With less than 100 days to go for Paris 2024, ace Indian long jumper Sreeshankar Murali has unfortunately been sidelined from the Olympics due to a knee injury, he sustained during training, which requires surgery.

The Asian Games and Commonwealth Games silver medallist shared the heartbreaking news with a social media post, “All my life, I’ve had the courage to look at a setback in the eye, accept situations I can’t change, and work hard at dictating the outcomes of those I can. Unfortunately, in what feels like a nightmare, but is a reality, my Paris Olympic Games dream is over,” the post read.

“To wake up healthy every single day, and watch yourself get into the best shape of your life, is every athlete’s dream. I was living it, until this incident. Life writes strange scripts, and sometimes there is courage in accepting it and moving on. That’s what I will do,” the post further read.

The 25-year-old sealed the Olympics qualification at the Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok in July last year, clinching silver with a best jump of 8.37m, breaching the automatic qualification mark of 8.27m.

“My journey to a comeback began the minute I injured my knee. This road is going to be long, difficult and will take a lot out of me. The good thing is, I have a lot to give. I will overcome this, because that’s what Mamba Mentality is all about.

“I will need your prayers, love and positive energy. I may jump alone, but it takes a collective push before every leap. This is my biggest one yet,” Sreeshankar wrote.

In 2023, Sreeshankar delivered a remarkable season, clinching a silver at the Hangzhou Asian Games and securing the silver medal at the Asian Championships.

Last year, he also became the first Indian long jumper to qualify for the Diamond League final following his fifth-place in the Zurich leg after the third and fifth-place finish in the Paris and Lausanne legs, respectively. But he had skipped the prestigious event to focus on his preparation for the Asian Games.