Did Long Jumper Murali Sreeshankar Achieve Victory at the Portugal Athletics Meet with a 7.75m Jump?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Sreeshankar's jump of 7.75m secured his victory in Portugal.
- He made a strong comeback after a knee injury.
- His performance raises hopes for future competitions.
- He is targeting the World Championships and other major events.
- The qualification mark for the World Championships is 8.27m.
Maia (Portugal), July 20 (NationPress) Murali Sreeshankar, representing India, clinched victory at the Meeting Maia Cidade do Desporto 2025, a bronze-level event in the World Athletics Continental Tour, with an impressive jump of 7.75m.
He commenced his effort with a jump of 7.63m before recording his best jump of 7.75m in the second round. His subsequent jumps included 7.69m, a foul attempt, 6.12m, and concluded with 7.58m.
Poland’s Piotr Tarkowski and Australia’s Chris Mitrevski secured second and third places, respectively.
Sreeshankar faced a challenging recovery from a knee injury sustained in April of last year, which led to him missing the Paris Olympics 2024. He had previously qualified for the Olympics with a remarkable 8.37m jump, earning a silver medal at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships.
His 2023 season has been a mix of highs and lows; he secured silver medals at both the Asian Championships and the Asian Games, competed in the Budapest World Athletics Championships, and qualified for the Diamond League Finals in Eugene.
Marking a successful return from his injury, Sreeshankar showcased his talent by winning the long jump event at the Indian Open Athletics 2025 in Pune on July 12, achieving a jump of 8.05m on his fourth attempt at the Savitribai Phule University Sports Complex.
He began with 7.84m, improved to 7.99m, and finally surpassed the 8m threshold. The qualification standard for the World Athletics Championships 2025 is set at 8.27m.
This event marked Sreeshankar's first competitive appearance since winning a silver medal at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, nearly two years ago.
Following his triumphant return from injury, Sreeshankar is now focused on the upcoming World Championships in Tokyo later this year, alongside aspirations for the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games next year.