Murali Sreeshankar to skip Diamond League finals in wake of Asian Games

Indian long jumper Murali Sreeshankar has decided to skip the upcoming Diamond League finals scheduled on 16th-17th September in Eugene, USA to focus on the upcoming Asian Games.

After finishing fifth in the Zurich Diamond League, Sreeshankar joined Avinash Sable (3000m Steeplechase) and Neeraj Chopra (Javelin Throw) as the finalists of the upcoming Diamond League finals in Eugene.

He became the first-ever long jumper from India to qualify for the premier one-day Athletic event series.

“I have my event on September 29th (qualification round) and October 1 (final) at the Asian Games. If I go to the US traveling some 15 hours, compete for a day, and then fly back to India and then travel again to China for the Asiad, that will be too much for my body," Sreeshankar told The Hindu.

The gap between the Diamond League final and the Asian Games athletics event is 12 days. The travel time between both venues is more than 15 hours as the USA and China are in two different spheres of the world.

World Champion Neeraj Chopra also stressed the extensive travel sandwiched during both events. "We have to manage our body during such a hectic schedule. I missed some events due to my injury, so I am going to compete in both the Diamond League and Asian Games," Neeraj told the media during a press conference.

Coming on the back of a disappointing performance in the World Championships, Sreeshankar recorded a jump of 7.99m and finished fifth in the Zurich Diamond League.

With the Asian Games closing, Sreeshankar will look to continue his moment and forget about the campaign in World Championships, Budapest.