CWG 2026: Malayali athlete Sreeshankar scripts history; India's Glasgow medal tally rises to 15
India's Murali Sreeshankar claimed his second consecutive Commonwealth Games silver in the men's long jump at Glasgow 2026, but admitted he was left disappointed after narrowly missing the gold medal he had set his sights on.
The 27-year-old from Kerala produced a best jump of 8.09m to finish second, behind Jamaica's Tajay Gayle, who secured gold with 8.15m. Scotland's Stephen Mackenzie took bronze with a leap of 8.08m.
Despite extending his Commonwealth medal record, Sreeshankar said he had hoped to better his silver from Birmingham 2022 by standing on the top step of the podium.
"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. I wanted to have a big jump and win the gold medal for my country, redeem the silver medal from Birmingham. But I'm happy, I'm being grateful, just being here representing my country at the Commonwealth Games, because I know what I've been through in the last two years, and thanks, everyone," he told ANI.
Gold slips away on final attempt
Sreeshankar remained firmly in the hunt for gold throughout the competition and entered his final attempt needing to surpass Gayle's leading mark of 8.15m.
His sixth and final jump measured 7.97m, leaving him six centimetres short of the Jamaican's winning effort.
The silver medal also made history, with Sreeshankar becoming the first Indian men's long jumper to win two Commonwealth Games medals.
The achievement marked another milestone in a career that has already produced a personal best of 8.41m, silver medals at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships and the Hangzhou Asian Games, and now back-to-back Commonwealth Games silvers.
Comeback after injury setback
The latest podium finish capped a remarkable return for Sreeshankar, who missed the Paris 2024 Olympics after undergoing surgery for a serious patellar tendon injury.
He returned to international competition determined to re-establish himself among the world's leading long jumpers and once again delivered on the Commonwealth stage.
Born in Palakkad to former athletes, Sreeshankar was introduced to athletics by his father and coach, S. Murali, a South Asian Games triple jump silver medallist. His mother, KS Bijimol, was an accomplished middle-distance runner.
India also had another finalist in the event, with Lokesh finishing fifth on his Commonwealth Games debut after recording a best jump of 7.97m.
India's medal tally reaches 15
Sreeshankar's silver was India's 13th medal at the Glasgow Games and helped the country end Day 7 with an overall tally of 15 medals — three gold, nine silver and three bronze.
India's medallists so far are Mirabai Chanu (gold, weightlifting), Sharmila Dhankar (gold, women's shot put F57), Dilip Mahadu Gavit (gold, men's T47 100m), Mohammed Basil Morssinganakth (silver, men's T47 100m), Murali Sreeshankar (silver, men's long jump), Rishikanta Singh (silver, weightlifting), Muthupandi Raja (silver, weightlifting), Gyaneshwari Yadav (silver, weightlifting), Sarvesh Kushare (silver, men's high jump), Gulveer Singh (silver, men's 10,000m), Harjinder Kaur (silver, weightlifting), Valluri Ajaya Babu (silver, weightlifting), Bindyarani Devi (bronze, weightlifting), Shilpa K. Shyla (bronze, women's shot put F57) and Jhandu Kumar (bronze, para powerlifting).