Indian long jumper Murali Sreeshankar clinched gold with a jump of 8.18m at the International Jumping Meet 2023 held in Kallithea, Greece in May.
Greece: Having clinched gold with a jump of 8.18m at the International Jumping Meet 2023 that was held in Kallithea, Greece earlier this month, India’s long jumper Murali Sreeshankar admitted that he still need to made some technical adjustments to be able to to execute the take-off properly for the jumps in coming competitions.
The International Jumping Meet 2023 held in Greece was Sreeshankar’s first competitive meet after injury. Sreeshankar will be competing in the Paris leg of the Diamond League on June 9, where he will up against the best athletes from across the globe.
“I didn’t quite intend to push this hard, but of course, 8.20m was my target for this competition,” Sreeshankar said. “I had competed in two meets prior as preparatory competitions to check where my body stood at that time.
“The competitive phase of the season has just started. So, I didn’t want to push that hard, but of course, since 8.20m was my target for this competition, I wanted to hit my target,” added the 24-year-old.
With the wind playing a major part on the day, the Kerala-born jumper said this was the first time in Kallithea that he faced a headwind. According to Sreeshankar, the conditions were quite ideal but he wasn’t quite able to get into my rhythm and had to keep his approach more in front because as he was lacking some speed.
As the Diamond league fast approaching, Sreeshankar reiterated he needs to perform to his peak and to work to get his back his rhythm. “Right now the main focus for me will be to get the rhythm right on the approach, that’s what I’m lacking a bit.
“We figured it out in the first competition which we had in Kallithea. So now we are trying to figure out how I can improve my last phase of the approach and the overall rhythm so that I will be able to execute the take-off properly for the jumps,” he added.
Notably, the International Jumping Meet 2023 was his second global competition of the season but first competitive tournament. “I have to put in more effort getting into the rhythm, and getting the feeling right towards the boat. So, in the next couple of competitions, I think I’ll be able to get into the rhythm better and go for big jumps as I ease my body and mind into a competitive mode,” Sreeshankar said when asked about his fitness and conditioning.
With Asian Games and World Championships coming up later in the year, Sreeshankar’s should prioritise his competitions, maintaining consistency should be his main priority. “This season is pretty challenging because the Asian Games will be happening in the first week of October and the Asian Games qualifiers will take place in the first week of June.
“So, we have to plan the season very carefully so that we could maintain the form and sustain the performances till the Asian Games. We have the World Championships in August, the Asian Championships in July, so we have to prioritize the kind of events which we have to focus on and give our best towards the main competition, which will be the World Championships,” he added.