It’s been nearly two years for the reason that Commonwealth Video games silver-medallist Sreeshankar Murali took an uncommon vow. The 23-year-old lengthy jumper determined to surrender on one in every of his favorite meals – the Kerala Porotta (a flatbread manufactured from maida) till he wins an Olympic medal. He’s so resolute in his promise that he didn’t even break it after his latest CWG triumph.
“ I don’t understand how that story popped up. However in the future, I keep in mind in 2019, I used to be having Porotta. All Malayalis understand how massive the Porotta is for us. My dad noticed me and mentioned, ‘you keep eating this and other athletes are jumping 8.15 metres and over’. So I instructed my dad I can’t have it till the (Tokyo) Olympics. So instantly I known as my mother and father and mentioned I received’t have it till I win a medal. I didn’t have it after CWG. The deal with is saved for the Olympics.
Why #CWG22 silver medal-winning lengthy jumper will not have parotta ( maida-based flat bread) till he wins an Olympic medal. @TejaswinShankar
@IExpressSports pic.twitter.com/aZcNuGBZ0l— Andrew (@AndrewAmsan) August 15, 2022
However on the Tokyo Olympics, Sreeshankar had a nightmarish outing the place he might solely handle a finest soar of seven.69m and completed twenty fourth within the heats. The next months had been no much less of an ordeal for Sreeshankar and his father and coach Sivasankaran Murali who was publicly sacked by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).
“ Of course (it was a tough time), not just physically but mentally. And not just for me, but for my family. I was confident in Tokyo, after qualifying with a decent jump. I didn’t have much expectation of making the podium, but I was confident to make the finals or the top eight. I had issues with Covid-19 and had to take successive vaccinations. That resulted in really bad fitness; I was never able to train fully in those three months. Everything was going south and I was never 100 per cent in my training for the Olympics,” he mentioned.
He additionally went on to say that for the reason that stage of competitors in observe and area is excessive, it’s robust to be on the rostrum.
Tejaswin Shankar and Murali Sreeshankar. (Illustration: Suvajit Dey)
“Be it CWG or Asiad, the quality of jump events is very high. At CWG, there are the Australian, New Zealand and Bahamas guys and winning a medal is not easy. It’s the same with the Asian Games. People had big expectations from us, especially coming from junior events. But we really need to understand that this is a long process and it will take time to get to the top. Track and field events are not participated in by 10-15 countries, but the whole world. It’s not just about getting physically mature but also mentally mature and I’m sure top-level athletes have been through the same phase in their career. Of course we are overwhelmed by the love and support but the process is full of its ups and downs,” he mentioned.
He plans to compete extra typically on the European circuit and fine-tune himself for the Paris Olympics the place he’s assured of bagging a medal. “Even If I don’t get it in Paris I am ready to wait another four years after that,” says Sreeshankar. The state’s signature dish that in all probability originated throughout Kerala’s sea commerce with the Arabian nations must wait.
