KOCHI: Indian long jumper Murali Sreeshankar has been ruled out of the Paris Olympics after suffering a knee injury during practice.
"I suffered a knee injury during training on Tuesday, and after all tests and consultations, it's been decided that I would need surgery, ruling me out of the one single thing I have chased relentlessly all these years," Sreeshankar said in a post on his social media account.
"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," wrote the 25-year-old.
Sreeshankar qualified for the Paris Games with an 8.37m effort at the Asian Athletics Championship in Bangkok in July 2023. The performance also won him a silver.
He was the lone long jumper from India to have secured a spot in the Paris event. The effort at the Asian Athletics Championships was also Sreeshankar's second career-best. His compatriot Jeswin Aldrin is yet to make the qualification cut-off.
