Murali Sreeshankar returns with 8.05m jump after career-threatening injury

After more than 650 days away from competitive action, Indian long jumper Murali Sreeshankar marked his return with a leap of 8.05m at the Indian Open Athletics Championships 2025 in Pune, on Saturday.

The performance, though it missed the World Championships qualification mark, underscored a significant personal milestone following a career-threatening injury that had sidelined him since late 2023.

The 26-year-old last competed at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, after which he suffered a complete rupture of the patellar tendon in his knee during a training session.

The injury required surgery and an extended rehabilitation period, ultimately forcing him to miss the 2024 Paris Olympics, a painful absence for one of India’s most promising athletes in track and field.

On Saturday, under humid Pune skies, Sreeshankar opened with a 7.84m jump, gradually improving with each attempt. He registered 7.99m on his second jump and then crossed the 8m mark on his fourth attempt with a commendable 8.05m. While the effort fell short of the World Championships qualifying standard of 8.27m, it was a powerful reminder of his capabilities and competitive spirit.

With the World Athletics Championships scheduled for later this year in Tokyo, Sreeshankar now shifts focus to breaching the qualifying mark in upcoming meets. He is also targeting next year’s Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, where he had previously won silver in Hangzhou.

Sreeshankar’s personal best of 8.41m still stands as one of the top performances in Indian athletics history.