India’s long jump hopes rested heavily on the shoulders of Sreeshankar Murli, a jumper who has consistently breached the 8m mark in international competition.
Coming into the World Championships with a season’s best of 8.13m and a personal best of 8.41m, expectations were high that the 25-year-old would at least secure a berth in the final. Instead, it turned into an evening of frustration as Sreeshankar managed only 7.78m, finishing 25th overall, well below both his season’s best and the qualification standard.
The qualification format was straightforward clear the automatic mark of 8.15m, or at least be among the top 12 performers across Groups A and B. The 12th place eventually settled at 7.98m, set by Zhang of China, underlining how close the margins were for entry into the finals. For Sreeshankar, who has regularly gone beyond 8m in past seasons, the gap between expectation and outcome was stark. His first attempt yielded a 7.78m jump, a steady but insufficient start. At that point, the bar for 12th place was at 7.83m, and as the competition unfolded, the standard kept inching upward.
By the end of the first round, he was placed 13th, needing a significant improvement to stay in contention. The second attempt turned disastrous, producing only 7.58m, which pushed him further down the standings as his rivals began breaching the 8m mark.
The competition itself was of the highest order. The defending champion Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece stamped authority with an 8.17m jump on his first attempt, easing into the finals. Spain’s Lescay soared to 8.21m, his season best, while athletes from Jamaica, Italy, and China all secured spots with consistent 8m-plus jumps. By the midway point, Sreeshankar had slipped outside the top 15, with the qualification standard climbing relentlessly. Needing a big final effort, he lined up for his third attempt. The crowd sensed the pressure, but when the marker came up, it read 7.78m again. No improvement, no finals.
For the Indian camp, it was a disappointing finish, particularly given the steady progress he had made after returning from a career-threatening patellar tendon rupture just over a year ago. From near doubts about walking normally again to competing at the World Championships, his journey itself is remarkable, but on the day, the performance fell short of expectations.
The final qualification standings told their own story 10 athletes crossed the 8m mark, with the last qualifying slot at 7.98m. Alongside Tentoglou, the finalists include two Jamaicans, two Chinese, two Spaniards, and representatives from Sweden, Bulgaria, the USA, Italy, and Switzerland. It is a line-up that reflects the depth of the event globally, and one that sadly does not feature the Indian jumper who had shown such promise.
For Sreeshankar, this result will sting. His personal best of 8.41m would have placed him comfortably among the top three on the day, but consistency and execution deserted him when it mattered. At this level, there is little room for error tenths of a meter decide whether one is watching the finals or competing in them.
The road ahead is not without hope, though. Still in his mid-20s, Sreeshankar has years left to hone his craft. The key lies in regaining rhythm and confidence in his approach run, which looked tentative in Ningbo. His return from injury has already shown his resilience; now he must translate that into consistent 8m-plus jumps on the world stage.
The disappointment of Ningbo 2025 may just serve as fuel. For now, though, the reality is that India’s long jump campaign has ended in the qualifying rounds. 7.78m, 25th place, no finals.
