Murali Sreeshankar Triumphs in Men's Long Jump at Indian Athletics Series

Sreeshankar's Stellar Performance

In his season debut, Murali Sreeshankar achieved an impressive leap of 8.15 meters, securing victory in the men's long jump at the Indian Athletics Series held on Saturday.

Representing NCOE Trivandrum, Sreeshankar recorded his winning jump on his fourth attempt, marking his best performance since returning from knee surgery in 2024. His previous best last season was 8.13 meters.

The 27-year-old athlete missed the 2024 Paris Olympics due to knee surgery and participated in the Tokyo World Championships last September but did not qualify for the finals.

Competition Highlights

At the Kanteerava Stadium, Sreeshankar was the only competitor to surpass the 8-meter mark. Sunny Kumar from Bihar secured second place with a jump of 7.90 meters, while Purushotham from Karnataka finished third with 7.87 meters.

In the women's long jump, Ancy Sojan from Reliance clinched the title with a jump of 6.54 meters, closely followed by Shaili Singh from the Anju Bobby George Sports Foundation at 6.52 meters. Moumita Mondal, also from Reliance, took third place with a jump of 6.37 meters.

Other Notable Performances

Tamil Nadu's pole vaulter Reagan Ganesh showcased his talent with a personal best of 5.35 meters, winning the event. He had previously cleared 5.30 meters at the National Indoor Championships in Bhubaneswar last month, where he attempted to break Dev Meena's national record of 5.40 meters but fell short.

In the 100-meter dash, Tamil Arasu from Railways claimed victory with a time of 10.23 seconds, while Giridharani Ravi Kumar from Tamil Nadu won the women's race in 11.53 seconds.

Maharashtra's Sarvesh Kushare, who made history as the first Indian high jumper to reach the World Championships finals last year, won his event by clearing 2.23 meters. Aadarsh Ram from Tamil Nadu also cleared 2.23 meters but finished second, while Jesse Sandesh from Karnataka took third with a jump of 2.10 meters.

In the men's 200-meter race, Jishnu Prasad from BSF emerged victorious with a time of 20.76 seconds, followed by NCOE Trivandrum's Vishal TK, the national record holder in the 400 meters, at 20.80 seconds. Tamil Arasu from Railways finished third with a time of 20.83 seconds.