Birmingham Commonwealth Games silver medallist Murali Sreeshankar has said that although expectations are ‘sky high’ for another podium finish at the Glasgow edition of the multi-sport event, adding that he is glad he has been able to make a strong comeback from an injury which almost ended his career.
Sreeshankar bagged qualification for the Paris Olympics after winning silver at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships with a jump of 8.37m. But his Olympic dream was cut short when he suffered a serious knee injury on April 16, 2024, forcing him to withdraw from the Games.
Sreeshankar underwent successful knee surgery in Doha 10 days later, on April 26, starting a lengthy road to recovery.
After recovering from the injury, Sreeshankar returned to
competition in July 2025, marking his comeback with a win at the World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze-level meet, Meeting Maia Cidade do Desporto.
“When you represent India at a major tournament, expectations are naturally sky high. The last two years have been quite good for me, especially after the injury. I am happy I was able to make such a strong comeback because there was a phase in my career when almost 90% of the people around me, doctors, coaches and others, believed it was over,” Sreeshankar replied to a query from News18 Sports during a media interaction.
“They felt I would not be able to jump again due to the injury I suffered. I had a ruptured patellar tendon in my take-off leg, so even jumping again seemed like a distant dream, let alone jumping far,” Sreeshankar added.
A ruptured patellar tendon is a serious knee injury where the tissue connecting the kneecap to the shinbone tears.
Sreeshankar said that his recovery had gone better than expected, crediting his support team for standing by him throughout the rehab process.
“So, yes, expectations are high and rightly so. Going into the CWG, I have the best jump among the athletes in the field because Wayne Pinnock (Paris Olympics silver medallist) is not competing,” Sreeshankar said.
“He is in the process of switching his allegiance from Jamaica to Turkey, so he would not be in Glasgow. That said, there are still some outstanding competitors, including Tajay Gayle (Doha World Championships gold medallist) as well as multiple Australian jumpers who have performed well on the international stage,” Sreeshankar added.
The 27-year-old said that he wouldn’t be distracted by the quality of the competition once he stepped onto the runway in Glasgow. Instead, his focus would be on his own performance, his technique, execution and staying in his zone.
“I am very optimistic heading into Glasgow,” Sreeshankar said.
The Hangzhou Asian Games silver medallist matched his personal best with a leap of 8.38m at the Inter-State Championships in Bhubaneswar earlier this season, underlining his return to top form.
Sreeshankar has also been part of a talented generation of Indian long jumpers that has taken the event to new heights.
“But there is something which I feel is that there is a big jump still in me. Everybody was happy because I got an 8.38m jump in Bhubaneswar. But I felt… it wasn’t an 8.38 day,” Sreeshankar told the media.
“We were just happy because I got my good jump after surgery. There is a big jump which is coming for sure,” Sreeshankar said.
The men’s long jump event begins on July 27.
