"No other option than to be mentally strong" – Murali Sreeshankar says he misses being in Paris Olympics 2024 

Murali Sreeshankar said he was heartbroken after he could not participate in the Paris Olympics 2024. The 25-year-old athlete qualified for the quadrennial event after he won the silver medal with a jump of 8.37 metres in the Asian Athletics Championships last year. He surpassed the Olympic qualification benchmark of 8.27 metres by quite some distance.

However, Murali Sreeshankar sustained a knee injury in training that not only ended his Olympic dreams but also ruled him out of the entire season. Sreeshankar said that he had to be mentally strong after he could not be a part of India’s athletics contingent for the showpiece event.

"I do miss being in Paris for the Olympics. It was very unfortunate, but I have no other option than to keep myself mentally strong and get back for the next Olympics, which is in Los Angeles. As a fan, I will be cheering on the Indian athletes who will be competing in Paris," Sreeshankar said in a media conference, as quoted by ANI.

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Neeraj Chopra will defend his gold medal, according to Murali Sreeshankar

Murali Sreeshankar also backed Neeraj Chopra to defend his crown. In Tokyo 2020, Neeraj became the first Indian track and field athlete to win a gold medal in the Olympics with his second throw of 87.58 metres.

Since then, Neeraj has grown in stature as he has won medals in the World Championships, Asian Games and Diamond League.

"Neeraj Chopra is a strong medal contender and he will be going to defend his Olympic gold medal," Sreeshankar added.

With a personal best of 89.94 metres that he achieved in 2022, Neeraj is still looking to breach the 90-metre mark. He will return to action after he missed the Paris Diamond League in July due to an adductor niggle.

On Tuesday, the Indian athletics contingent, which also includes the likes of Jyoti Yarraji and Kishore Jena, reached Paris.

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