The long jump track at the Asian Games 2026 suddenly looked very quiet for Murali Sreeshankar. On his fourth attempt, an injury struck, cutting his competition short and leaving him on the sidelines. He had already cleared 8.07m, sitting comfortably in second place, but the rest of the event became a agonizing wait.
The tension was thick. Sreeshankar had to watch his rivals complete their final two jumps, knowing one good effort could steal his medal. China's Yuhao Shi was dominant, having already jumped 8.17m to secure gold. The question wasn't whether Shi would win, but whether anyone else could leap over Sreeshankar's 8.07m mark.
They couldn't. Uzbekistan's Anvar Anvarov jumped 8.06m for bronze—just one centimeter short of knocking Sreeshankar off the podium. The Indian long jumper held his ground, crossing the finish line with the silver medal despite not completing all six attempts. It was a gritty, if painful, victory.
India's other finalist, Solomon David, finished seventh with a best of 7.70m. The day belonged to Sreeshankar, though, who added another Asian Games medal to his collection. His resilience in the face of physical pain defined the day's athletics action.
The stakes for India's athletics team remain high. With Sreeshankar's silver secured, the focus now shifts to the remaining events where India is looking to pad its medal count. The next opportunity for Indian track and field athletes will arrive in the upcoming finals this week.