Asian Games silver medallist Sreeshankar targets gold in 2028

Asian Games silver medallist long jumper M. Sreeshankar on Friday expressed confidence that his fourth career silver medal would eventually pave the way for a major gold, saying he hoped to achieve the feat in 2028.

Mr. Sreeshankar won the silver medal at the Asian Games in Japan despite suffering an injury during his fourth attempt.

Speaking to reporters at his residence after returning from Japan, Mr. Sreeshankar said his physical condition and preparation were good enough for an 8.20 m-plus jump, but a slip while attempting the distance affected his performance.

“My body condition was good. I had all the conditions required to jump 8.20 m-plus. So, during the jump aimed at reaching 8.20 m, my leg went a bit forward, and I suddenly slipped and fell like Superman,” he said.

Narrow margins

Mr. Sreeshankar said he had missed gold by very narrow margins on previous occasions but believed those experiences were leading him towards a major triumph.

“If I get a gold in 2028, then everything will be compensated, for sure,” he said.

Asked whether winning the medal was a stroke of luck, Mr. Sreeshankar said the difficult weather conditions had made the competition unpredictable. “Definitely. Because in these weather conditions, the performance could go either way. It was raining heavily, but alongside the rain, it was also humid. So, jumping above 8 metres gave me good confidence,” he said.

He said he had expected jumps in the range of 8.10 m or 8.15 m but felt his 8.07 m effort was satisfactory under the circumstances.

The heat, humidity and rain had caused cramps among several athletes, making the ability to adapt to the conditions crucial to winning a medal, he said. “In these major competitions, whoever can overcome and adapt to that particular situation gets the medal,” he said.

Mr. Sreeshankar noted that all five athletes in the competition had previously recorded jumps of around 8.30 m or 8.40 m, making it a closely contested event.

He said the athletes finishing behind him had recorded jumps of 8.05 m and 8.06 m, with the second, third and fourth positions separated by just one centimetre.

To avoid aggravating injury

Mr. Sreeshankar said his muscles began cramping from his third attempt, forcing him to approach the jump cautiously to avoid aggravating the injury.

“I only had the intention of just completing that jump. If I applied too much force, those cramped muscles might have led to further injury. So, I had to take that attempt very easily,” he said.

Palakkad MP V.K. Sreekandan and Palakkad MLA Ramesh Pisharody also visited Mr. Sreeshankar’s residence to congratulate him on his feat.