Sreeshankar…tragic mishap.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Long jumper M. Sreeshankar, the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games silver medallist, has injured his knee and can now miss this July’s Paris Olympics.
“He injured his left knee, the take-off knee, while training at Palakkad on Tuesday evening. There was no inkling that something like this would happen, it happened during a short pop-up jump. He sat down on the pit immediately,” S. Murali, Sreeshankar’s father who can also be his coach, informed The Hindu on Thursday.
“He has been taken to the Kokilaben Hospital in Mumbai…they say it could take about one and half years to regain his old form.”
Sreeshankar, the No. 2 within the World lengthy leap checklist halfway by final 12 months with a private finest 8.41m, tweeted concerning the injury and stated it felt like a nightmare.
“All my life, I’ve 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. Unfortunately, in what feels like a nightmare, but is a reality, my Paris Olympic Games dream is over,” stated Sreeshankar.
The 25-year-old from Palakkad had made the reduce for the Paris Olympics as quickly because the qualification doorways opened on July 1, 2023, profitable the Asian Championship silver in Bangkok with 8.37m (Olympic entry customary 8.27m) on July 15.
Sreeshankar, who had completed third within the Paris Diamond League final 12 months, had deliberate to open his season on the Shanghai Diamond League subsequent week however the injury has now introduced his season to an early shut.
“To wake up healthy every single day and watch yourself get into the best shape of your life is every athlete’s dream. I was living it until this incident. Life writes strange scripts and, sometimes, there is courage in accepting it and moving on. That is what I will do,” stated Sreeshankar.
“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,” stated the lengthy jumper who idolises the late NBA basketball legend Kobe Bryant.
