CWG 2026: Murali Sreeshankar wins second consecutive Men's Long Jump silver

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Indian long jumper Murali Sreeshankar expressed mixed emotions after winning his second straight Commonwealth Games silver medal, admitting he was pleased with the podium finish but disappointed after missing out on gold in the men’s long jump at the Glasgow 2026 Games.

The 27-year-old, who previously earned silver at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, posted a top leap of 8.09m to take second place behind Jamaica’s Tajay Gayle, who captured gold with an 8.15m mark. Scotland’s Stephen Mackenzie grabbed bronze with an 8.08m effort.

Reflecting on his performance, Sreeshankar told ANI, “We always aim for a gold medal performance. I am happy with the silver but not satisfied because this was not the jump I was expecting. I wanted to have a big jump and win the gold medal for my country, redeem the silver medal from Birmingham. But I’m happy, I’m being grateful, just being here representing my country at the Commonwealth Games, because I know what I’ve been through in the last two years, and thanks, everyone.”

Sreeshankar remained in the gold medal hunt until the final round, needing to beat Gayle’s mark on his sixth attempt. However, his final jump reached 7.97m, leaving him six centimetres shy of the Jamaican.

Remarkable comeback after injury for Sreeshankar

With this performance, Sreeshankar became the first Indian male long jumper to earn two Commonwealth Games medals. The result marks a major milestone in his return to the international arena following surgery for a severe patellar tendon injury that ruled him out of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Sreeshankar holds a personal best of 8.41m and previously earned silver medals at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships and the Hangzhou Asian Games before adding another Commonwealth medal to his resume.

India had two athletes in the final, with debutant Lokesh finishing fifth after registering a best jump of 7.97m.

Sreeshankar’s silver brought India’s medal tally at the Glasgow Games to 13, contributing to a total of 15 medals (three gold, nine silver, three bronze) by the end of Day 7. The boxers had a successful outing too as they confirmed six more medals for India after qualifying for the semi-finals.

(With inputs from ANI)

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