New Delhi: Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya congratulated Indian long jumper Murali Sreeshankar after he clinched the silver medal in the men’s long jump at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, describing the achievement as a “proud moment for Indian Athletics.”
Sharing a post on X after Sreeshankar’s podium finish in Glasgow, Mandaviya wrote, “Proud moment for Indian Athletics! Congratulations to TOPS Core athlete Sreeshankar for clinching the Silver Medal in the Men’s Long Jump event with a spectacular jump of 8.09 m at the Commonwealth Games.”
Sreeshankar delivered another consistent performance on the Commonwealth stage, registering a best leap of 8.09m to secure the silver medal behind Jamaica’s Tajay Gayle, who won gold with an effort of 8.15m. Scotland’s Stephen Mackenzie claimed bronze after clearing 8.08m.
The Kerala athlete remained in contention for the gold until his final attempt but could only manage 7.97 m with his sixth jump, finishing just six centimetres behind Gayle’s winning mark.
The silver made Sreeshankar the first Indian men’s long jumper to win two Commonwealth Games medals, having also claimed silver at the Birmingham 2022 edition.
The latest podium finish marked another significant milestone in the 27-year-old’s career, coming after a lengthy recovery from a serious patellar tendon injury that forced him to miss the Paris 2024 Olympics.
He returned to international competition determined to re-establish himself among the world’s top long jumpers and has now added a second Commonwealth Games silver to his resume.
Born in Palakkad, Kerala, Sreeshankar comes from a family of accomplished athletes. His father and coach, S Murali, won a triple jump silver medal at the 1989 South Asian Games, while his mother, KS Bijimol, was an 800m silver medallist at the 1992 Asian Junior Athletics Championships.
Sreeshankar has enjoyed sustained success on the international circuit, with a personal best of 8.41m and silver medals at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships and the Hangzhou Asian Games before producing another medal-winning performance in Glasgow.
India also had another representative in the men’s long jump final, with Lokesh finishing fifth on his Commonwealth Games debut after recording a best effort of 7.97m.
Sreeshankar’s silver was one of three medals won by India on Day 7, helping the country take its overall tally at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games to 15 medals — three gold, nine silver and three bronze.
India’s medallists so far are Mirabai Chanu (gold, weightlifting), Sharmila Dhankar (gold, women’s shot put F57), Dilip Mahadu Gavit (gold, men’s T47 100m), Mohammed Basil Morssinganakth (silver, men’s T47 100m), Murali Sreeshankar (silver, men’s long jump), Rishikanta Singh (silver, weightlifting), Muthupandi Raja (silver, weightlifting), Gyaneshwari Yadav (silver, weightlifting), Sarvesh Kushare (silver, men’s high jump), Gulveer Singh (silver, men’s 10,000m), Harjinder Kaur (silver, weightlifting), Valluri Ajaya Babu (silver, weightlifting), Bindyarani Devi (bronze, weightlifting), Shilpa K. Shyla (bronze, women’s shot put F57) and Jhandu Kumar (bronze, para powerlifting). (ANI)
