The Indian contingent for the Paris Olympics 2024 suffered a big blow with ace athlete Murali Sreeshankar ruling himself out of the upcoming tournament due to an injury on Thursday, April 18. Ace long jumper revealed a knee injury he suffered while training and confirmed his decision to pull back from the Summer Olympic Games starting on July 26.
The 25-year-old athlete from Kerala secured the Paris Olympics qualification after famously clinching Silver in the Asian Athletics Championships in July 2023. He also finished second in the recently 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou to raise India's hopes for a medal in the Olympic Games but an unfortunate knee injury rules him out of the upcoming Paris Games.
"Unfortunately, in what feels like a nightmare, but is a reality, my Paris Olympics dream is over," Sreeshankar wrote in his Instagram post. "I suffered a knee injury during training on Tuesday, and all the tests and consultations later, it's been decided that I would need surgery, ruling me out of the one single thing I've chased relentlessly all these years. All my life, I had the courage to look at a setback in the eye, accept situations I can't change, and work hard at dictating the outcomes of those I can."
Murali remains India's only athlete to win a Silver medal in the long jump event in the Commonwealth Games and his injury exit comes as a big blow to the Indian contingent for the Summer Olympics.
"Life writes strange scripts, and some times there is courage in accepting it and moving on. That's what I will do. My journey to a comeback began the minute I injured my knee. The road is going to be long, difficult and will take a lot out of me. The good thing is, I've a lot to give. I will overcome this, because that's what Mamba Mentality is all about," Sreeshankar added.
