Asian Games: India’s Long Jumper Murali Sreeshankar has pulled out of the upcoming Diamond League Final to focus on Asian Games. The 24-year old was the first Indian long jumper to qualify for the Diamond League final scheduled to be held in Eugene, USA on 16th and 17th September.
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With the top six athletes in each event qualifying for the final, Murali Sreeshankar made the cut after finishing third overall in the Diamond League series this year. Much recently, he finished fifth in the Zurich Diamond League after a best jump of 7.99m.
However with just 12-day gap between the Diamond League Final and the Asian Games, Sreeshankar has opted to not travel to Eugene. “If I go to the US travelling some 15 hours, compete for a day and then fly back to India and then again to China for the Asiad, that will be too much for my body,” said Sreeshankar as quoted by The Hindu.
“With travelling, our training will not happen properly. My body will not recover from jet lag,” he added. Apart from Murali Sreeshankar, Neeraj Chopra and Avinash Sable are the two other Indians to qualify for the Diamond League Final.
Murali Sreeshankar will be in action in his maiden Asian Games. Last year he won the silver medal in the Commonwealth Games with a best jump of 8.08m.
