Indian long jumper Sreeshankar Murali has chosen to forgo the Diamond League Final in the United States which commences on September 23 in Hangzhou, China.
Sreeshankar had recently participated in the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, but did not make it to the final.
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Only a week later, on August 31, he competed in the Diamond League event in Zurich, Switzerland, where he secured a third-place finish. This performance earned him a spot in the Diamond League Final, scheduled for September 16-17 in Eugene, Oregon.
Notably, Sreeshankar, a 24-year-old from Kerala, is the first Indian long jumper to qualify for this prestigious event.
Why has Sreeshankar Murali opted to pull out of the Diamond League final?
Sreeshankar has opted to skip the Diamond League final in favour of focusing on the Asian Games.
Explaining his decision, Sreeshankar mentioned, “I have my event on September 29th [qualification round] and October 1 [final] at the Asian Games. If I go to the US, travel for approximately 15 hours, compete for a day, and then return to India before traveling again to China for the Asiad, that would be too taxing on my body.”
Sreeshankar's choice to prioritize the Asian Games over a global competition is not unique among Indian athletes.
Men’s high jump national record holder Tejaswin Shankar, now competing in the decathlon, also skipped the World Championships to prepare for the Asian Games.
Likewise, 20km national record holder Priyanka Goswami and women’s 800m runner KM Chanda decided to skip the World Championships in Budapest to focus on the continental event in Hangzhou.
This decision reflects the importance of the Asian Games to these athletes and their commitment to performing at their best in the regional competition.
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