 "Murali Sreeshankar's Paris Olympics dreams ended due to a knee injury. Reuters")
Indian long jumper Murali Sreeshankar has been ruled out of Paris Olympics 2024 after suffering a knee injury during training which has also ruled him for the entire 2024 season. Sreeshankar had qualified for the Paris Olympics after registering an 8.37m jump at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships which also helped him land a silver medal.
The 25-year-old, an Asian Games and Commonwealth Games silver medallist, was scheduled to start his season with Diamond League Meetings in Shanghai/Suzhou and Doha on 27 April and 10 May respectively, however, an injury sustained during training on Tuesday has brought an end to his Olympic dream. The athlete confirmed that he will be needing surgery to recover from the injury.
“Unfortunately, in what feels like a nightmare, but is a reality, my Paris Olympics dream is over,” Sreeshankar said on X. “I suffered a knee injury during training on Tuesday, and all the tests and consultations later, it’s been decided that I would need surgery, ruling me out of the one single thing I’ve chased relentlessly all these years.
“All my life, I had the courage to look at a setback in the eye, accept situations I can’t change, and work hard at dictating the outcomes of those I can,” he added.
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More Shorts“Life writes strange scripts, and some times there is courage in accepting it and moving on. That’s what I will do.
“My journey to a comeback began the minute I injured my knee. The road is going to be long, difficult and will take a lot out of me.
“The good thing is, I’ve a lot to give. I will overcome this, because that’s what Mamba Mentality is all about,” said Sreeshankar, who is a fan of basketball legend Kobe Bryant.
“Mamba Mentality” in sporting world is described as positive approach towards life and sports something that was always pursued by Los Angeles Lakers’ Bryant.
Sreeshankar had become only the third Indian to finish in the top three in a Diamond League Meeting in June last year. He later failed to qualify for the long jump final at the World championships at Budapest but bounced back with a silver at the Asian Games in Huangzhou.