Long Jumper Murali Sreeshankar Makes Triumphant Return With Gold At Indian Open
Sreeshankar made his comeback at the Indian Open Athletics Meet, winning gold in men's long jump with a leap of 8.05m. This was his first competition since the 2023 Asian Games.
The Indian Open Athletics Meet at the Savitribai Phule Pune University Sports Complex on Saturday featured a host of elite athletes, but it was long jumper Murali Sreeshankar who stole the spotlight.
Making his highly anticipated return to competitive action after a lengthy injury layoff, India's premier long jumper delivered a powerful statement.
Sreeshankar clinched the gold medal in the men's long jump with a leap of 8.05m — the first Indian to cross the 8m mark in the event this year.
A Remarkable Comeback Performance
Sreeshankar, whose personal best stands at a staggering 8.41m — one of the finest marks in Indian athletics history — showed no signs of rust in his first appearance in nearly two years.
Despite a long break from competition, the 25-year-old looked sharp and confident, delivering a top-class performance to mark his return.
His gold-winning effort of 8.05m was not only enough to win the event but also signaled that he remains one of India's top medal prospects in track and field.
First Competition Since 2023 Asian Games
Sreeshankar's last appearance came at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, over 650 days ago. Since then, he had been sidelined by a serious knee injury that required surgery and ultimately forced him to miss the 2024 Paris Olympics — a heartbreaking setback for the talented athlete.
Now back in action and pain-free, Sreeshankar has begun building toward what he hopes will be a strong international comeback.
With this performance, Sreeshankar has taken his first major step toward qualifying for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. He also has his sights set on the 2026 Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, both of which remain key targets on his calendar.
Thanks to the support of India's Mission Olympic Cell (MOC), Sreeshankar will compete in a series of international meets across Europe and Central Asia in the coming weeks. His itinerary includes stops in Portugal, Spain, and Kazakhstan from July 19 to August 14.
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has approved a funding grant of ₹5.58 lakh to support this tour, further underlining the backing he continues to receive from Indian athletics authorities.
view comments
First Published:
July 12, 2025, 18:22 IST
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
27 minutes ago
- Mint
Ex-England pacer Broad keen to take up coaching role
London, Aug 20 (PTI) His illustrious career now a part of England's cricketing folklore, legendary pace bowler Stuart Broad is planning a move towards coaching role where he can some day produce the likes of Jofra Archers and Jimmy Andersons. Broad, the second-highest wicket-taking pace bowler in Test cricket after country-mate Anderson, says he has spoken to Rob Key, managing director of the England cricket team, and expressed his desire to groom the U-17 and U-19 players. "It's certainly something I want to stay connected to, the coaching," Broad, who has taken 604 Test wickets," told The Telegraph. "I've chatted to Rob Key a little bit about doing some stuff with the younger bowlers in the England setups when the schedule suits," added the tall former pacer, who has donned the role of a broadcaster after hanging up his spikes. Broad, who figures in seventh place in the list of all-time highest wicket-takers across formats, added that though he had not set a timeline on taking the plunge into coaching, he was optimistic it could happen as early as next year. "I haven't set any sort of targets or dates of coaching or what's to come, but probably next year I'd start looking at dipping my toe into it a little bit more." Broad was a consultant to the South African cricket team ahead of their World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord's, which the Proteas won to clinch their maiden ICC world title. He believes he can play a role in accelerating the development of younger bowlers in the England set-up. "The U19s or even U17s - you really know what you're developing, and you've got your base of technique, but the growth you can make between 15 and 20 is huge." "What excites me the most is, where's the next Jofra Archer? Where's the next Jimmy Anderson? I watched on Instagram, Harry Moore, who's been out with a stress fracture. I look at him and go, 'huge talent, 6ft 6in, swings it both ways, hits good areas'. "Where could he be in four years' time? Maybe even less than that? Where can you spot these players whose ceiling is very high?" Broad says he agrees with Rob Key's plan of engaging stalwarts like Andrew Flintoff and Graeme Swann, among others, to strengthen England cricket. "I'm completely on Rob Key's side. You want your best cricket brains still sharing information to the best players, and you don't want them to be put off by having to jump through loads and loads of hoops that might be a bit unnecessary with the knowledge they've got." Broad's other desire is to become a "really good broadcaster" and believes Indian cricketer-turned-commentator Ravi Shastri has a captivating voice. "The level of analysis that Ricky Ponting gives, the detail that he's going into. The tone of voice with Ravi Shastri – how he can go up and down and pick moments to really go. I'm always looking and learning. "I'm definitely all in on the broadcasting at this moment in time, because I'm certainly not at a level that I'm comfortable with. I want to get better and better and be in those moments where I'm calling great cricket."
Hindustan Times
27 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma removed ICC ODI rankings altogether, not even in top 100
In a surprising development that has left cricket fans across the globe baffled, Indian cricket stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been removed from the latest ICC ODI batting rankings released on Wednesday. Just a week ago, Rohit was ranked No.2 and Kohli No.4 in the world. As of the August 20 update, neither player features even in the top 100, sparking widespread speculation and confusion across social media. Virat Kohli, left, and Rohit Sharma no longer have the long rope(AFP) The sudden disappearance of the two legendary batters from the rankings comes despite the fact that both remain active in the ODI format. The move appears to be an error or technical glitch in the ICC's ranking system, as no formal retirement or inactivity clause applies to either player. Both Rohit and Kohli last played ODIs in February 2025 during the ICC Champions Trophy in the UAE, where they played pivotal roles in India's title-winning campaign. Rohit scored a match-winning knock in the final, helping India lift their first ODI ICC trophy in a decade. Kohli too was in sublime form during the group stages, anchoring the Indian innings in challenging conditions, particularly at the spin-friendly Dubai International Stadium. Until last week's update, Rohit was second only to Shubman Gill in the ICC ODI batting charts, while Kohli occupied the fourth spot with 736 rating points. With Wednesday's rankings, Babar Azam has now moved up to No.2 behind Gill, who remains the top-ranked batter with 756 points. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's removal from ICC ODI Rankings sparks speculations The abrupt removal of the two icons has led to a wave of fan reactions online, with #RohitSharma and #ViratKohli trending on X (formerly Twitter) as users speculated whether this was an oversight, a technical glitch, or a miscommunication from the ICC. The ICC has not yet released a formal statement on the matter, further fuelling the chatter. Given their active status and recent performances, the rankings are expected to be corrected in the next update. For now, however, the absence of India's most prolific ODI duo from the global charts remains a mystery.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
27 minutes ago
- First Post
Indian pair of Saurabh-Suruchi wins 10m air pistol mixed team bronze in Asian C'ship
The duo defeated Liu Heng-Yu and Hsieh Hsiang-Chen 17-9 to add to the individual bronze that double Olympic-medallist Manu Bhaker had won in the women's 10m air pistol competition on Tuesday. Suruchi Singh & Saurabh Chaudhary win Bronze medal in 10m Air Pistol Mixed team event at Asian Shooting Championships in Shymkent. Image: @OfficialNRAI The Indian pair of Saurabh Chaudhary and rising teenage star Suruchi Inder Singh clinched the 10m air pistol mixed team bronze, beating Chinese Taipei in the Asian Shooting Championships here on Wednesday. The duo defeated Liu Heng-Yu and Hsieh Hsiang-Chen 17-9 to add to the individual bronze that double Olympic-medallist Manu Bhaker had won in the women's 10m air pistol competition on Tuesday. The Indian pair qualified for the medal round placed fifth with Suruchi firing 292 and Saurabh scoring 286. the duo aggregated 578 in the qualification round to be placed fifth going into the eight-team medal round. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Suruchi, who has been on song this season winning four World Cup medals, started the qualification round with a perfect 100 in the opening series, faltered in the second to score 94 and ended the preliminary round with a 98. Chaudhary had series of 95, 96 and 95. .
