Commonwealth Games 2026: India’s Murali Sreeshankar makes CWG history in long jump
Sreeshankar scores a historic medal in Glasgow
India’s Murali Sreeshankar wrote his name in the Commonwealth Games history books after becoming the first Indian athlete to win multiple CWG medals in the long jump event.
The Kerala-born athlete has two silver medals in the tournament, having won them at the Birmingham 2022 Games and now at the Glasgow 2026 Games.
Competing at the Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow, the 27-year-old produced a best leap of 8.09m to finish second in the men’s long jump event. This marked not only his second silver at the tournament, but also an improvement over his performance at Birmingham 2022. There, he had claimed silver with a leap of 8.08m.
Before Sreeshankar’s back-to-back medals, Indian long jumpers had won three CWG medals: Suresh Babu’s men’s bronze in 1978, Anju Bobby George’s women’s bronze in 2002, and M. Prajusha’s women’s silver in 2010.
Related: Commonwealth Games 2026: India’s updated schedule for Day 7 (July 30)
Murali Sreeshankar narrowly misses out on gold
Despite two fouls for Sreeshankar, the competition at the Glasgow Games was a tight one, with the Indian jumper narrowly missing out on the gold medal to Jamaica’s Tajay Gayle. Sreeshankar began the event with a successful leap of 8.03m. His second leap of 8.09m briefly put him at the top of the standings.
Gayle, who began with an 8.08m jump, produced a season-best effort of 8.15m in his fourth attempt. As a result, the three-time World Championships medallist clinched the gold medal. The bronze medal went to Scotland’s Stephen Mackenzie, who registered a best leap of 8.08m.
India’s Lokesh Sathyanathan also competed in the event, finishing fifth with his opening effort of 7.97m.
Related: Commonwealth Games 2026: India’s medal tally after Day 6, 29th July
Murali Sreeshankar eyes Asian Games gold
Despite making CWG history, Sreeshankar claimed that he was “not satisfied” with his performance, having missed out on clinching India’s first long jump gold medal.
“We always aim for a gold medal performance. I am happy with the silver but not satisfied because this was not the jump I was expecting,” Sreeshankar told ANI after the event. “I wanted to have a big jump and win the gold medal for my country, redeem the silver medal from Birmingham (Games).”
The Indian athlete had to overcome a career-threatening patellar tendon injury, which had forced him to withdraw from the Paris 2024 Olympics. However, having made a medal-winning comeback after this setback, he is eyeing a gold medal in the upcoming Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games.
“I have to work on my technique,” he said. “But I feel that this is like a stepping stone; it will add confidence going ahead for the Asian Games.”
The Aichi-Nagoya Games will take place in Japan from September 19 to October 4.
Where and when will Commonwealth Games 2026 take place?
The Commonwealth Games 2026 will be held in Glasgow, Scotland, from July 23 to August 2.
What CWG history did Murali Sreeshankar make at Commonwealth Games 2026?
He became the first Indian athlete to win multiple CWG medals in the long jump, adding a second silver at Glasgow 2026 to his Birmingham 2022 silver.
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Sushruta has spent over two years covering football, with a particular focus on Indian and international competitions. Alongside football, he has reported on a variety of sports, bringing curiosity and perspective to every story. When he’s not following the action, he can usually be found binge-watching movies or getting lost in a good book.