How mathematics has played a key role in Tokyo Olympics-bound long jumper Murali Sreeshankar's preparations  

Mathematics and long jump go hand in hand for Murali Sreeshankar. The 22-year-old Tokyo Olympics-bound long jumper from Kerala is a national record holder with an 8.26m leap, which he achieved at the 2021 Federation Cup in Patiala.

Born to a family of sportspersons, athletics was in Murali Sreeshankar’s genes. In fact, he grew up hearing stories of some of the greatest jumpers the country has ever produced.

Apart from athletics, Sreeshankar also developed a strong liking for numbers right from his childhood. Always the holder of full marks in mathematics, Murali Sreeshankar’s mind revolves around numbers all the time. Be it in training or any competition, mathematical calculations have always played a major role in any of Murali Sreeshankar’s achievements to date. Needless to say, he will be playing with numbers in Tokyo too.

“Being a long jumper, those mathematical calculations were always on my mind whenever I am on the field. The insights of mathematics have also helped me in my training sessions as well. Jumping is all about taking measurements and that has helped me a lot,” Murali Sreeshankar said in a recent media interaction facilitated by the Sports Authority of India (SAI).

Sreeshankar never got bored of calculations, much like Vidya Balan in the 2020 Bollywood movie Shakuntala Devi. If at all he scored less in other subjects at school, the mathematics section of Sreeshankar’s report card always had full marks. He soon started implementing those in his training as well.

“I used to mentally calculate the strides before the jump. I have 19 strides before the jump and if I am 20cm or 30cm behind the board then I would do the maths that how many centimeters I should increase so that I am precise. Jumping is all about taking measurements,” he explained.

Late Kobe Bryant inspires Murali Sreeshankar

A big fan of the late Kobe Bryant, Sreeshankar has always drawn inspiration from the mindset of the legendary hoopster. The NBA legend lost his life in a horrific helicopter crash near Los Angeles last year along with his daughter Gianna.

“He is my idol. If you read his stories, he is a different personality. It is quite incredible the way he motivates people. Even if he has a broken finger he will go out there and compete as if nothing happened. That kind of mindset I try to emulate,” Sreeshankar said.

“He is mentally strong, and an advocator of women’s basketball as well. His late daughter was also an upcoming basketball player. His work ethic, mentality, attitude towards the game inspires me a lot. It is a big miss not to have him," Sreeshankar continued.

Due to rigorous training sessions, Murali Sreeshankar has missed most of his online classes and is having a tough time with Complex Analysis – a mathematics text book for undergraduates. With his final year B.Sc examination knocking on the door next month, the youngster is hopeful of managing both – exams and the Tokyo Olympics.