Long jumper Sreeshankar thrilled with his consistency post-surgery

Seasoned long jumper M. Sreeshankar values his second-best career effort of 8.38m, achieved despite a wet track and rotating wind at the National inter-State athletics at the Kalinga Stadium here.

Sreeshankar emphasised that this was his best performance since undergoing a knee surgery in April 2024. Despite a swollen knee and a troublesome ankle, he has shown strong consistency, clearing 8m in all five competitions since April this season.

Retaining the enthusiasm

The 27-year-old retains the enthusiasm he had eight years ago when he first crossed the 8m mark as a teenager. “I was just counting. This was my 60th jump above 8m. The kind of consistency I’ve put in, especially after the career-threatening injury I had in 2024, I was eagerly awaiting a good jump,” said Sreeshankar, whose personal best stands at 8.41m.

“After being told that I won’t be able to jump again, it really feels special. I’m grateful for whatever I’m doing.

“Still, my knees are not 100%, they’re swollen. There are three ankle screws. I need to ice it regularly, do a soft tissue massage and work on my mechanics. I’ve gotten used to the new kind of training schedules.”

He thanked his father-cum-coach S. Murali and strength-and-conditioning coach Wayne Lombard for their solid support.

Sreeshankar is delighted with the depth in Indian long jump. “Before we left our room today, I told my dad that the competition is going to be above 8.30m for sure,” revealed Sreeshankar, who is now seventh among the world’s leading jumpers this season.

Shahnavaz Khan backed Sreeshankar’s prediction, leaping 8.30m to place second and move to 11th in the world. “There’re at least three-four people who are capable of that kind of jump. India has a wild start right now. We’ve four jumpers above 8.20m (in 2026).”

Inspiration

Aware of the challenges the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will present, Sreeshankar looks to elite global athletes for inspiration.

“We need to replicate what we do here, just there. Miltiadis Tentoglou and others, irrespective of the conditions, don’t complain. Adaptation is something that we’re missing. Once that comes, LA 2028 should be really interesting,” said Sreeshankar.