New Delhi: Murali Sreeshankar, a 27-year-old long jumper, has made a remarkable recovery from life-threatening appendicitis surgery and a potentially career-ending knee injury. He has been training for three hours, five days a week, under the guidance of strength and conditioning expert Wayne Lombard.
Sreeshankar's current training regimen involves daily icing, using compression boots for his quadriceps, and regular soft tissue work for his hip flexors to manage his knee better. Despite his left knee never feeling the same, he believes he has the potential to be where no Indian has been.
The current national record stands at 8.42m, and Sreeshankar's best is 8.41m. He is confident that 8.50m is achievable and is waiting for the right moment when it clicks. At the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, he will face major challenges from Jamaica and Australia, but he is determined to do better than his silver-winning performance from Birmingham 2022.
Sreeshankar will be in action at the ongoing Inter State Championships and will leave for Spala in Poland for a training stint. He also has his sights set on the Monaco Diamond League next month, pending invitation.
