Indian long jumper Murali Sreeshankar has opted to forgo the upcoming Diamond League final in Eugene to concentrate on his preparations for the Hangzhou Asian Games. This decision was shared by the official Asian Games handle with their followers.
In a tweet, the Asian Games 2022 account stated, "India's long jumper M. Sreeshankar has decided to skip next week's Diamond League Final in Eugene and focus on Hangzhou Asian Games. Sreeshankar is the first Indian long jumper to make the cut for Diamond League Final. #Hangzhou #AsianGames #TeamIndia #Sreeshankar #diamondleague2023 #HangzhouAsianGames @WorldAthletics @SreeshankarM @WeAreTeamIndia."
Sreeshankar secured his place in the Diamond League final after his performances at the Zurich Diamond League event in September. The final is scheduled to take place in Eugene on September 16-17.
In the men's long jump competition in Zurich, Sreeshankar achieved a fifth-place finish with his best jump covering a distance of 7.99 meters. Although he remained competitive for more than half of the event, he was unable to maintain his performance and slipped down the rankings during the latter part of the competition.
The gold medal in the event was claimed by Greece's Miltidias Tentoglou, who leaped 8.20 meters. Tamay Gayle secured the second spot with an 8.07-meter jump, while the third position was earned by USA's Lawson Jarrion, who jumped 8.05 meters.
The Hangzhou Asian Games are scheduled to take place in Hangzhou, China, from September 23 to October 8. Sreeshankar is one of the 65 athletes who have qualified to represent India in various athletics disciplines at the games.
Notable names among the qualified athletes include World Champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, Kishore Kumar Jena in men’s javelin throw, Tajinderpal Singh Toor in men’s shot put, Jeswin Aldrin in men's long jump, Annu Rani in women's javelin throw, and Jyothi Yarraji in women’s 100m hurdles and women’s 200m, among others.
