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Watch: Murali Sreeshankar in disbelief after committing foul attempt; 'Bit disappointed that I could not win gold'
In the sixth and last attempt, Sreeshankar committed a foul attempt and had to settle for the silver medal.
India's Murali Sreeshankar clinched the silver medal in the Men's Long Jump final with a mark of 8.08m at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022 on Thursday. Sreeshankar bagged the historic silver with a distance of 8.08m in the Men's Long Jump, and became the first Indian male athlete to win a Commonwealth Games medal in the long jump. Also Read | Murali Sreeshankar bags historic silver in men's long jump with 8.08m attempt at CWG; Muhammed Anees Yahiya finishes 5th
Sreeshankar started with a successful jump of 7.60 metres in his first attempt, before jumping to 7.84m and 7.84m with ease in his next two attempts. In the second round, he committed a foul attempt, stepping over the whiteboard. In his fifth attempt, he made a stunning comeback in the game and registered a massive 8.08m jump, which him to the second spot on the tally. In the sixth and last attempt, he committed a foul attempt and had to settle for the silver medal.
The Indian missed out on gold by a whisker, having committed a foul in his fourth and sixth attempt. He managed to breach the 8m mark but his jump was called a foul, leaving him in disbelief. Fans on Twitter even questioned the video evidence that had Sreeshankar claiming silver instead of the yellow metal. His fourth jump was called a foul by 1cm.
Laquan Nairn (8.08m) of Bahamas clinched the gold while Jovan van Vuuren (8.06) of South Africa claimed the bronze medal.
"Very happy to be honest. I have been waiting for this for a very long time. I desperately wanted a medal here... I knew that a good jump will fetch me a medal here. I wanted to do my Personal Best here but unfortunately, the conditions were not quite favourable. It was windy and cold and the main challenge was to overcome these conditions. After the first round, I got a good rhythm. Happy with the silver medal. Even though a bit disappointed that I could not win the gold," Sreeshankar told ANI.
Sreeshankar said that he was a bit disappointed that he could not win gold, and dedicated the historic silver medal to his father and the Sports Ministry of India.
"I am elated. A bit disappointed that I could not win gold but happy that I won silver for the country. I would like to dedicate this medal to all those who stood by me including my father, our Sports Ministry," he added.
Another Indian at the event, Muhammed Anees Yahiya committed a foul attempt, stepping 11cm over the whiteboard, on his first jump. In the second attempt, he jumped to the mark of 7.65m. In his third attempt, he took a jump of 7.72m.
Anees registered his fourth attempt at the 7.74m mark. He took a jump of 7.58m in the fifth attempt. In the sixth and last jump, he registered a jump of 7.97m, his best of the event and ended it with a spot in the top five.
