Murali Sreeshankar is an Indian athlete who competes in the long jump event. He holds the National record of 8.26 metres set in 2021. In March 2018, Sreeshankar cleared a 7.99 m jump at the Federation Cup in Patiala. He was named in the Indian contingent for the 2018 Commonwealth Games but had to pull out 10 days before the April event after being diagnosed with appendicitis. Following an emergency appendix surgery, he was placed on a liquid diet, which resulted in significant weight loss and an inability to walk properly. Two months later, he participated in the 2018 Asian Junior Athletics Championships in Gifu despite having "less strength, speed and focus" from before the illness and won bronze with a jump of 7.47 metres. At the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, he "struggled with run-up issues" and finished sixth in the final with 7.95 metres. In September 2018, Sreeshankar broke the national record at the National Open Athletics Championships in Bhubaneshwar where he achieved a jump of 8.20 metres. It was also the world-leading jump of the season among under-20 athletes and made him the first Indian athlete to qualify for the 2019 World Athletics Championships scheduled to be held in September–October in Doha. Listen to him share his dreams, trials and tribulations with Rica Roy in the RedFM Podcast Guts, Glory, Gumption – The voice of Indian Sports.

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