A jump that he desperately sought

As Murali Sreeshankar looked up at the scoreboard, dusting off the sand as he climbed out of the long jump pit following his first attempt during the Federation Cup, he knew it was his day.

8.02m, it read.

Sreeshankar has long known that he had it in him to get to that Olympic qualification mark of 8.22. In fact, back in 2018 when he set the national record with a distance of 8.20, he expected to make the qualification mark soon. But injuries and lack of confidence meant that at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, his best was 7.62m. 

But a strong start here, sent his confidence soaring.

“It was a good day because in the first jump itself I got 8.02. So that gave me confidence and I was sure that I can improve on that. My jumping technique was good but sprinting technique was not great. So I knew I could build up speed and in the fifth jump I went all out, got the board and stuck the landing,” Sreeshankar told DH, reliving that moment.

In the fifth jump he cracked it - 8.26m - a new national record, breaching the Olympic qualification mark. “This was a jump that I kept missing time and again, when it finally came it felt like a dream come true. In 2019, I didn’t get any big jumps officially but there were foul jumps in competitions where I touched the 8.20m mark. So coming here I wanted to do it, I had that drive.”

While the leap may have been his, the faith was built by his father and coach S Murali. After his slump in form, his decision to move back to his native Palakkad and train under his father -- a former international triple jumper -- was the key.

His father insists it was to ensure his studies does not lag behind, and there is probably some truth to that, but the chemistry between the two was what the doctor ordered. Then the lockdown happened. “During lockdown period I didn’t miss a single day of training because we had equipment at home,” says Sreeshankar, a BSc mathematics student at Victoria College.

“I think my dad is able to give me training that is specific to my requirements and how I learn. He knows what training sessions to do to get maximum out of me. We chart our plans on how to prepare and peak for events.”

Murali has banked heavily on his experiences as an athlete but more than that he has managed to cultivate a mindset - of hard work and focus - in his son. And knowing his pupil, some of it is done in rather humorous ways.

Dad poking fun

“In 2019, my dad made fun of me saying ‘ne engane parota kazhichu nadano’ (you just keep loafing around eating parota) and I told him I will eat it only after Olympics. I thought 2020 so it was no big deal but then they shifted it to 2021...,” Sreeshankar says with a laugh on one such instance, before a more serious tone takes over.

“There is little entertainment now. I have not gone out with friends or seen movies since 2018. That’s when the mindset change happened. My dad is very focused and gradually I’ve also learned. I knew I had the potential and had to match it with focus and effort. The dedication had to come.”

It will probably need to be at an all-time high in the coming months with Tokyo Games just months away. Sreeshankar is aware of the task at hand and the knowledge that he has room for improvement gives him confidence. “There are a technical issues in my jump that I need to rectify, I can rectify. So I feel like there is lot of room to improve,” he says.

“Training will be mostly in Palakkad because going abroad might not be feasible. But the hope is to go and train abroad, because the exposure from international competition and training will be very useful for Olympics.”

The finish line is almost in sight now, few more months before that parota.