MURALI Sreeshankar became the first Indian long-jumper to win two successive medals at the Commonwealth Games as he once again claimed a silver at the event with a confident performance which showed that his two-year battle with a career-threatening knee injury was now well and truly over. Having claimed his first silver in Birmingham in 2022, the 27-year-old added another to his collection after producing a best leap of 8.09 metres, capping an emotional comeback from the knee surgery that nearly derailed his career in 2024.

 

Former world champion Tajay Gayle of Jamaica clinched the gold with a best jump of 8.15m, while local favourite Stephen Mackenzie grabbed the last spot on the podium with an 8.08m effort. The medal was especially sweet considering where Sreeshankar stood just over a year ago. Competing in only his second Commonwealth Games after missing the 2018 edition due to an emergency appendix surgery, Sreeshankar opened confidently with a leap of 8.03m before stretching it to 8.09m in his second attempt to move into the lead.