CWG 2022: Murali Sreeshankar's long jump silver has social media talking

India continued its medal rush in the Commonwealth Games 2022. With social media talking about him, Murali Sreeshankar won the silver medal in the long jump event.

Indian long jumper Murali Sreeshankar clinched a silver in men's event to hand India its second medal in athletics during the 2022 Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Birmingham on Thursday. The 23-year-old national record holder aviated 8.08 metres in his fifth shot to finish second, behind Bahamas' Laquan Nairn in a nerve-wrecking men's final. Nairn also had his finest jump of 8.08 metres, but his second best of 7.98 metres was sounder than the 7.84 metres of Sreeshankar. Under the rules, if a couple of jumpers are tied on the same distance, the one with a more reasonable second-best effort will be ranked ahead.

South Africa's Jovan van Vuuren (8.06 metres) claimed the bronze. The other Indian in the fray, Muhammed Anees Yahiya, finished at fifth with a soundest jump of 7.97 metres. Sreeshankar is now the first Indian male long jumper to win a silver at the CWG, while Suresh Babu won the bronze in 1978.

Among women, Prajusha Maliakkal won silver in Delhi in 2010, while legendary Anju Bobby George grabbed a bronze in 2002. Sreeshankar went into the CWG as a gold medal favourite on the basis of his season's and personal best of 8.36 metres, putting him in joint second ranking in the world this season.

But, Sreeshankar struggled to open four jumps while landing on the footboard. He began with 7.64 metres before jumping an identical 7.84 metres in his second and third attempts. His fourth jump happened to be a foul. He was outside the medal contention at the fourth round end, as he was sixth at that stage, while his fifth attempt of 8.08 metres took him to the second.

In the dramatic final round jump, he appeared to have surpassed the 8 metres mark -- which could have landed him the gold -- but to his and the Indian contingent's dismay, his foot dismounted 2 cm forward of the line on the footboard. The last go was thus ruled as a foul, and Sreeshankar settled for a silver.

On Wednesday, Tejaswin Shankar won a bronze in the men's high jump to open India's medal account in athletics in this CWG. It was Sreeshankar's foremost medal in a major international competition and a multi-sporting event. Before this, he had won bronze during the 2018 Asian U-20 Championships.

The medal will relieve him after his disappointing execution during the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, USA, finishing seventh in the final. He had headed into the World Championships as a medal dark horse, with a season's and personal best of 8.36 metres.

(With inputs form PTI)