CHENNAI: While long jumper and CWG silver medalist Murali Sreeshankar may have regained his mojo after his injury, there was still one thing that bothered him. One of its ‘weak points’ was the adaptation to the Mondo track, widely used around the world. The premium, synthetic track made from vulcanized rubber is considered fast and needs minor adjustments before hitting top gear.
“The only time we get to compete on the Mondo tracks is when we go overseas to compete. That too at the World Championships and maybe some of the Diamond Leagues. So I’ve always had trouble coping with the tracks,” he said. This slowly changed at the training camp which was organized by the Athletics Federation of India in Spala, Poland. “So, when I came here, the first week I felt a bit difficult to adjust to the dance. Because the feedback you get from the Mondo track is completely different from the normal one. So it took me a while to settle and understand the track and my brain to feel the feedback from the ground,” he explained.
“Now, I’m feeling really good with the surface and I’m also connecting properly with my jumps. After one session, my father and I told coach James Hiller of (Director of Athletics of) Reliance Foundation that the Mondo mystery is finally solved for me. Because every time on the Mondo track, I perform very poorly – be it the world championships in Tokyo 2 or Budapest20,” he said.
