BIRMINGHAM: Long jumper Murali Sreeshankar gave India a historic silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games with a leap of 8.08m at the Alexander Stadium here.
TOI caught up with the 23-year-old from Palakkad, Kerala after the event in an exclusive interview.
Excerpts...
Happy with the silver, or was it a missed gold?
It's my first ever global medal so I'm happy. But I will keep working hard. Next time, I want to win gold. I have one unfulfilled dream. I was hoping to win a medal at the world championships as well. If I had given my best, I would have at least won a bronze medal there but I wasn't able to perform well at the world championships. I am happy that I was able to win a medal for the country here in Birmingham.
This medal at a global meet was a long time coming, wasn't it?
Yes, I have been waiting for a medal (at a global meet) for a very long time. I was seventh at World Indoor and World Outdoor, sixth at World Juniors, fourth at Asian Indoors, sixth at Asian Games. Every time I was finishing sixth or seventh, so I am really happy with the silver. I have been waiting for a global medal for a very long time, but I kept missing out. This is a small step towards my big goal in the 2024 Paris Olympics and I am working towards that.
Amid all those disappointing times, when you were not able to land a medal, what was going through your mind?
Ups and downs are an integral part of a sportsman's life. It's important that an athlete faces challenges and overcomes it. Patience is the key, we have to trust our process. Not everyone wins medals at world championships or Commonwealth Games in their first attempt. It's a long process. It takes time. Reigning Olympic long jump champion Miltiadis Tentoglou told me in Greece that even 'I too came seventh, sixth and even fourth multiple times'. Then he went to win the gold in Tokyo. It's a step by step process. Athletics is so tough now, we have to be patient and trust the process, that's when the medal will come.
Going into the fifth jump, where you jumped your best (8.08m), you were trailing the leaders for quite some time. Did thoughts come to your mind that this time again the medal is going to slip from your hands?
I knew that one good jump will take me to the top. My father was telling me that I can do it. I was in a similar situation at the inter-state meet in Chennai also. I was trailing behind, with a best jump under 8m till the fourth round. There I did 8.23m with my fifth jump. I knew that I could do just one big jump and win a medal. That's what my dad told me before the fourth jump. Remember you have done this at the inter-state. And then I hit 8.08m in the fifth.
Would you like to describe your winning jump for us?
I was able to use all my experiences of competing in the global stage and domestic circuit for that. That experience helped me to channelise all my energy and hit the board perfectly. It was like a perfect jump, only 5 cm to spare on the take-off board, proper planting on the board, and could execute the perfect jump. Although it was far below my personal best (8.36m), but that's all was needed for a medal.
It was very cold and chilly at the Alexander Stadium. How challenging was it for you?
The weather conditions were a bit challenging. There was a problem with the tailwind also. After 3 rounds, it was getting colder. I was having a problem with my rhythm. During the qualifying rounds, I was in a good rhythm and did 8.05m even while jumping from behind the take-off board. But as the temperature dropped and it started getting windy, I struggled a bit, especially the first jump. That's why my first jump was well behind. I was just waiting for the perfect time to hit the board and execute my technique.
Now that you have broken the medal barrier at the global stage, what can we expect from you?
I have one unfulfilled dream. I was hoping to win a medal at the world championships as well. If I had given my best, I would have at least won a bronze medal but I wasn't able to perform well at the world championships. My target now is to win a medal at the Budapest world championships next year.
Indian athletics is on the upswing; your medal, Tejaswin's bronze, Neeraj's (Chopra) medals at Olympics and Worlds…
Neeraj bhaiya has been a real inspiration. He told me when I was in Oregon for the world championships 'If you win a medal, be happy. But even if you don't, take it as a learning experience and learn from the mistakes you made. Every event should be a learning experience'. It's a very important lesson he gave to me.
