New Delhi [India], June 18 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday lauded the performance of Murali Sreeshankar for clinching a bronze medal at the recently concluded Paris Diamond League 2023 in the 102nd episode of 'Mann ki Baat'.
"Friends, earlier there used to be a time when we used to come to know about international events, but, often there was no mention of India in them. But, today, I am just mentioning the successes of the past few weeks, even then the list becomes so long. This is the real strength of our youth. There are many such sports and competitions, where today, for the first time, India is making her presence felt. For example, in the long jump, Sreeshankar Murali has won a bronze for the country in a prestigious event like the Paris Diamond League," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 102nd episode of 'Mann ki Baat'.
India's Murali Sreeshankar finished third in the men's long jump event with an impressive attempt of 8.09m at the Paris Diamond League 2023 athletics in France.
Murali Sreeshankar's third try resulted in his best leap.
The 8.09m effort placed him second, just behind Greece's reigning Olympic and Diamond League champion Miltiadis Tentoglou, who won the Paris Diamond League with an 8.13m jump.
However, a foul by S Murali in the fourth try and an 8.11m leap by Switzerland's Simon Ehammer dropped the Indian long jumper to third place. Sreeshankar's fifth attempt recorded 7.99m and his sixth run down the track ended with a foul.
Murali Sreeshankar made his second appearance in the Diamond League. He finished sixth in Monaco last year with an effort of 7.94m. Last year, he set a personal best leap of 8.36m. Jeswin Aldrin of India holds the national record in men's long jump, having jumped 8.42m earlier this year.
With a season-best jump of 8.18m, the 24-year-old Indian athlete won a World Athletics Continental Tour bronze label event at Kallithea, Greece last month and qualified for the Asian Games in China.
In Paris, ten participants competed in the men's long jump event. Maykel Masso of Cuba, who won bronze in Tokyo in 2020, had a disappointing day, finishing sixth with a best leap of 7.83m.
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