Exclusive | Murali Sreeshankar Ruled Out Of Paris Olympics: Anju Bobby George and T.C. Yohannan Reveal How Big Is It A Setback For Indian Athletics

An unexpected twist has dashed Indian long jumper Murali Sreeshankar's dreams of competing in the upcoming Paris Olympics, as a freak knee injury sidelined the Commonwealth and Asian Games silver medallist from the global quadrennial event.

The 25-year-old long jumper, born in Palakkad, on Thursday (April 18) took to his handle on X, formerly known as Twitter, about the injury blow, terming it a nightmare.

Murali Sreeshankar Olympic Dreams Dashed

"All my life, I’ve had the courage to look 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,” wrote Sreeshankar.

Anju Bobby George-TC Yohanan Feel For Indian Athlete

Former Indian legendary long jumpers Anju Bobby George and T.C. Yohannan spoke exclusively with myKhel on Sreeshankar's injury, necessitating surgery, saying they could empathise with him. "It's so sad, and I have also faced similar challenges. I qualified, but I couldn't go for my first Olympics. So, I can understand his pain," said Anju Bobby George, the national record holder in women's long jump.

Reacting over Sreeshankar's injury, 1974 Asian Games gold medalist T.C Yohannan said, "It's very sad news. We were expecting a medal from Murali Sreeshankar in the Paris Olympics but it's very unfortunate."

Anju Bobby Terms The Development 'Heartbreaking'

Murali had a brilliant 2023 season as he bagged a silver medal at the Asian Athletics Championships, achieved his personal best of 8.41m in the Inter-State Athletics Championships, and won a silver medal in the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou.

Everyone expected a medal from Murali, including 2003 World Championships bronze medalist Anju Bobby George - who is also the vice-president of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) - further said, "He was well-prepared. He is one of the top athletes in India. It's very sad to hear that he will miss the Olympics. For any athlete, missing the Olympics is beyond imagination. Murali is in top form, and everyone is expecting a medal from him. So, it's very heartbreaking news."

Sreeshankar secured a spot in the Paris Olympics upon the qualification opening on July 1, 2023, clinching the Asian Championship silver in Bangkok with a jump of 8.37m (Olympic entry standard 8.27m) on July 15. He planned to kick off his season at the Shanghai Diamond League next week. However, an injury has forced him to prematurely end his season.

In the Tokyo Olympics, Sreeshankar's best jump was 7.69m, securing him the 13th position but he fell short of advancing to the final round. Jeswin Aldrin, another prominent long jumper, has yet to meet the qualification standard for Paris 2024. Despite the setback, Sreeshankar's determination remains undiminished as he sets his sights on future challenges beyond Paris 2024.