CHENNAI: For a while, it felt like M Sreeshankar was on the verge of history. Having already won silver in the event four years ago, he was close to changing the color to gold, which would have made him the first Indian jumper to do so at the Commonwealth Games. Instead, he walked away with the silver medal with a mark of 8.09m in the men’s long jump final on Wednesday.
Although he left with a wry smile after the last effort, it soon turned into a smile with his father and coach S Murali embracing him on the field as the 27-year-old wrapped the tricolor around himself. 2019 World Champion Tajay Gayle of Jamaica took the gold medal with a mark of 8.15 meters. Considering the conditions, the wet track at Scotstoun Stadium, it was an impressive display from the 27-year-old. Since going under the knife in 2024, the 27-year-old jumper is back to his sparkling best. In fact, before the CWG started, Sreeshankar felt he was in the best form ever. “I’m getting these consistent results only because my physical condition is pretty good. My jumping skills have been better than before. I’m able to push myself pretty nice and well in the air for so long,” he had said.
Birmingham in 2022 was supposed to be the start of something. That silver metal around his neck gave him a launch pad to produce better next year. He cleared a personal best of 8.41m at the national interstate meet only to be bettered by Jeswin Aldrin (8.42m) later that year, which to this day remains the national record. But the worst came next. He suffered a career-threatening injury, rupturing the patellar tendon in his left knee, forcing him out for the entire year of 2024. For 650 days, Sreeshankar has not pitched. Fear and anxiety struck him and his family. It looked like there was no way back, or at least not back to his defining best. But in 2025, everything was changing, for the better.
