Asian Games 2018: M Sreeshankar finishes 6th, says he'll be back and better

The eighteenth Asian games have thrown a few pleasant surprises our way. From Indian Rowing contingent's medal-winning display to Boappana and Sharan's dominant performances in Tennis, the 2018 pan-Asian games have been unique in their own sense. Midway through the multi-sport event, India stands at the ninth position with Thirty-One medals. Day Six saw the commencement of track and field events, with several Indian competitors in the mix. One such event was Long Jump. 19-year-old Sreeshankar was the only athlete from India in this one. Athletics runs in Sreeshankar's blood. His father represented India in Triple Jump, while his mother in 800m. Despite an athletics-rich background, not much was expected of the youngster during the qualification as well. The youngster had shown potential previously, finishing 6th at the 2018 World Junior Championships. However, a serious illness had seen him fall behind a bit. However, to everyone's surprise, Sreeshankar jumped 7.83m in his very first attempt, qualifying for the final in the process. The Long Jumper from Coimbatore did not attempt another jump during the qualifiers. Sreeshankar's heroics saw him take his place alongside his much-experienced competitors in the Final on Sunday, August 26. The youngster, however, couldn't join his compatriots on the podium as he finished sixth in the Long Jump Final. Nevertheless, Sreeshankar gave a stunning overall performance. His best attempt of 7.95m even saw him cruising in the podium positions for most of the event. Still 19, the Coimbatore-born athlete has a bright future ahead of him. Sreeshankar, himself, realizes this fact, as he screamed 'I will be back' to the camera, as he walked off the field.

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