Lengthy jumper Sreeshankar Murali, who needed to withdraw from the Olympics as a consequence of a knee harm, nonetheless saved an in depth eye on the motion unfolding at Paris. As an knowledgeable commentator on India’s official broadcasters for the Video games, the Commonwealth and Asian Video games silver medallist discovered one other perspective on the monitor and discipline occasions.
“I totally loved my stint as a commentator and bought to find out about completely different sports activities. Though I had nice enjoyable whereas doing commentary for the lengthy soar finals, I can’t deny I used to be feeling a bit unhealthy that I wasn’t on the sector. The best way my apply was going this season, I had a really robust likelihood of ending on the rostrum,” Sreeshankar tells The Indian Categorical.
The knee harm additionally gave Sreeshankar time to reassess his objectives and take sports activities “a bit simpler”. Earlier, he was totally consumed in coaching, exercises and competitions, turning a blind eye on life past sports activities. This injury-induced break helped him realise that the method may result in burnout.
It additionally gave him a chance to supply an interview sequence forward of the Video games the place he managed to get Neeraj Chopra, Hamish Kerr (Paris excessive soar gold medallist) and pal Miltiadis Tentoglou (lengthy soar gold medallist).
“I made this video sequence for the Indian viewers. I needed to get these worldwide champions to inform us how they practice. Our Indian athletes imagine that coaching as laborious as you possibly can is the perfect method. However you will notice these worldwide athletes speaking about how they practice simply 5 days every week and less than three hours a day. It’s one thing our younger athletes can watch and be taught from,” he says.
The harm got here simply months earlier than the Olympics throughout a light-weight coaching session at Sreesankar’s hometown of Palakkad, Kerala, shattering him emotionally. What made issues worse for the athlete was the very fact his household had come to the stadium to observe him practice. Nobody fathomed that Sreeshankar, who was in glorious type till then, would go away the stadium with a ruptured tendon and a damaged spirit.
“It wasn’t even a full movement soar however the second I landed, I heard a pop. I instantly knew what it meant. I needed to be lifted off the bottom. The following few days I simply spent weeping. When medical doctors took a take a look at my scans, they stated such accidents solely occur in automotive crashes. I nonetheless don’t know the way it occurred,” Sreeshankar says.
The athlete knew he didn’t have a lot time and wanted surgical procedure on the earliest to handle the “career-threatening harm”. After consulting with Dr Sameul Pullinger, head of sports activities science at JSW’s Encourage Institute of Sports activities (IIS), Sreeshankar boarded a flight to Doha to get his knee operated on at Aspetar Hospital, recognized for treating prime soccer stars like Lionel Messi and Neymar.
The lengthy highway again
Publish surgical procedure in late April, Sreeshankar determined to fly down on to Bellary to start his rehab program as an alternative of heading residence.
“His rehabilitation isn’t a one-man job. An enormous crew is concerned. The medical division is at all times in touch, alongside the vitamin division that assists him with any extra supplementation wants for his harm,” says Pullinger.
Sreeshankar was in fixed contact along with his household, giving them each day updates throughout this era however didn’t actually perceive the toll the harm took on them, particularly his dad, till he visited residence.
“Greater than the bodily pressure, it was an emotional toll on my household. After returning residence two months after my surgical procedure in Doha and preliminary rehab, I seen nothing had modified. All of the stuff at residence hadn’t moved an inch. The resistance band I used to be utilizing on the day of harm was nonetheless wrapped across the railing,” Sreeshankar says.
“I didn’t have time to sit down in despair for too lengthy. My household was fairly upset, and I wanted to reassure them. My father was deeply concerned in each step of my journey. It was laborious for him initially, however the assist he obtained from numerous quarters was very useful,” he says.
Throughout that section, Sreeshankar obtained calls from prime athletes on the circuit, together with Chopra, however it was one particular name from an athlete pal in Delhi that turned the tide for him.
Asian and Commonwealth Video games medallist Tejaswin Shankar’s quick, however efficient, pep discuss was sufficient to carry Sree’s spirits.
“Tejaswin was truly shocked that I picked the decision. He stated, ‘Brother, if there’s anybody who could make a comeback from right here, it’s you’. The assumption he had in me renewed my religion,” says Sreeshankar.
He has no qualms in admitting that he wanted skilled assist to maintain his psychological well being. Periods with sports activities psychologist Maithili Bhuptani, who’s a part of the nationwide camp, helped the teen and his father immensely.
“Dad was 100 occasions extra concerned than I used to be. He was soaking in your complete course of with coaching, restoration, relaxation, planning. It was so laborious for him initially. A variety of athletes, pals spoke to him, as did my sports activities psychologist,” remembers Sreeshankar.
Sreeshankar has already been cleared to do gentle operating and weight coaching, although the soar periods have to attend for now. The Kerala athlete is eyeing a return to competitors by June subsequent yr. “I’ll return to motion in a home meet after which journey to Europe to get some good 7.90m jumps that can assist me earn rating factors for the Tokyo World Championships,” he says.