Murali Sreeshankar Eyes Personal Best At Bhubaneswar Continental Tour Meet After CWG Silver

Fresh from a memorable silver medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, India's long jump star Murali Sreeshankar is aiming to take another significant step forward when he competes at the World Athletics Continental Tour Silver Level meeting at Bhubaneswar's Kalinga Stadium on Saturday.

Sreeshankar enters the competition high on confidence after producing an 8.09m effort in Glasgow to secure his second successive Commonwealth Games silver medal. He finished behind Jamaica's Tajay Gayle, who won gold with 8.15m, while Scotland's Stephen Mackenzie claimed bronze with 8.08m.

The result was particularly significant given Sreeshankar's comeback from a serious patellar tendon injury that ruled him out of the Paris Olympics. His latest Commonwealth Games medal also made him the first Indian long jumper to win two medals in the history of the event.

Now back in familiar surroundings in Bhubaneswar, Sreeshankar believes the Continental Tour meet can provide the ideal platform to push his limits once again.

"The competition will give me a chance to compete with the best in the business," he said during a media interaction in Bhubaneswar on Thursday.

The Kerala athlete has already shown his ability to produce big distances at the Kalinga Stadium this year. He registered an impressive 8.38m to win the men's long jump at the 65th Indian Championships in June, a performance that underlined his strong form heading into the Commonwealth Games.

With that performance and his 8.09m Commonwealth Games silver fresh in the memory, Sreeshankar will now be targeting another major leap on Saturday, with a personal best firmly within his sights.

The Continental Tour event will also serve as an important competitive opportunity ahead of next month's Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Japan. A strong international field is expected in Bhubaneswar, with several athletes ranked inside the world's top 50 set to compete. The wider field is expected to include 36 athletes ranked among the global top 50.

More than 180 athletes representing around 25 countries are expected to compete in the one-day event, with India fielding a sizeable contingent of 90 athletes.

For Sreeshankar, however, the spotlight will be firmly on the long jump runway. After overcoming one of the most difficult phases of his career and returning to the Commonwealth Games podium, the 27-year-old will now look to turn his impressive consistency into another landmark performance - and potentially a new personal best on home soil.