Kobe Bryant and Usain Bolt inspiring Murali Sreeshankar in his quest for an Olympic medal
The long jumper has been in prolific form ahead of the Olympics
Murali Sreeshankar has been nurtured in an environment where the five rings have dominated his vision, lifestyle, and thinking right from childhood. The rings are engraved on the main entrance, on the cupboard and the walls of the house are adorned by some of the greatest Olympic moments. It has been his way of life.
Both his parents were athletes themselves. His father S Murali had been a triple jumper and is a silver medallist at the South Asian Games. While his mother K S Bijimol bagged silver in 800 metres at the 1992 Asian Junior Athletics Championships. Elite athletes like PT Usha and Shiny Wilson would be regular visitors at their home. It is believed that Sreeshakar is a fourth-generation athlete from the family. In short, athletics runs in his blood.
When he was in the fourth standard, he created an email id that had the word 'Olympics' in the username. Right from his childhood his schedule has been to wake up, study, train, eat and sleep. And before the Olympics, the training sessions have increased manifold.
He trains under his father and quite naturally wanted to emulate him and become a triple jumper.
"Triple jump is the toughest and very injury-prone. I saw my father with swollen knees and injuries. It is a very technical event and more injury-prone. So it was an absolute 'no' from my father when I went up to him with the idea," he mentioned.
Sreeshankar knows that his physical attributes are a hindrance but just like his father, he thinks that he has a burst of explosiveness which separates him from the rest.
"I am not that broad or muscular. But I am more explosive than those athletes from abroad. That is in my genes. My father had the same trait."
While many other athletes prefer to train under foreign coaches he continues to train under his dad. And the results are for everyone to see. He measured 8.26m during the Federation Cup in Patiala which helped him qualify for Tokyo 2020.
However, it is not his father who inspires him the most. They are late Basketball legend Kobe Bryant and the superstar of athletics Usain Bolt.
"Bryant is my idol. If you read his stories, he has a different personality. It is quite incredible the way he motivates people. Even if he has a broken finger he will go out there and compete as if nothing happened. That's the kind of mindset I try to emulate."
Whereas, he has learnt from Bolt how to shut his critics even when the chips are down.
"He lost to Yohan Blake in the Jamaican trial. There were a lot of talks about whether he would be able to defend his title. When he finally won in 9.62s, we were howling in the middle of the night."
While he is aware that he is still far off from the favourites like Juan Miguel Echevarría of Cuba (8.60m plus), Tajay Gayle of Jamaica (8.60m plus), and Juvaughn Harrison of the USA (8.40m plus), he believes he can still finish on the podium if he manages around 8.35m.
"In the Olympics what matters is how you perform on that day."
The odds are stacked against him but one who follows the ideals of Bryant can hardly be intimidated.
When is Sreeshankar in action at Tokyo 2020?
Sreeshankar will be in action in the long jump qualification event on July 31.