New Delhi: Asian Games silver medallist Ancy Sojan Edappilly felt Murali Sreeshankar would have surely won a medal at the Paris Olympics had the long jumper not been injured while training a few months back. One of the medal hopefuls for India, Sreeshankar injured his knee while training in his hometown Palakkad and was forced to withdraw from the Paris Games, which starts just a week later. The 25-year-old, ranked seventh in the world, recently underwent knee surgery in Doha.
Sreeshankar had booked his Paris Olympics ticket at the Asian Athletics Championships last year when he jumped 8.37m to surpass the Qualification mark of 8.27m set by World Athletics and win silver. He had also won a silver medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou.
“I am really hopeful of Neeraj (Chopra) to win a medal but I will miss Murali Sreeshankar at the Olympics. Sreeshankar would have surely got us a medal in Paris,” said Ancy Sojan at the launch event of the Delhi Half Marathon on Thursday. “Olympics is a big stage and we can’t predict. I am very happy that this time we have a strong lineup in athletics,” she added.
Out of 117 athletes, India will be represented by 29 competitors in athletics, led by Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Neeraj. The Paris-bound squad includes 18 men and 11 women athletes. Besides Neeraj, men’s 3000m steeplechase athlete Avinash Sable is another medal contender while the 4x400m men’s relay team are also capable to spoiling others party.
The U-21 women’s long jump record holder Ancy Sojan, who won four gold medals in the recently concluded Khelo India Youth Games, also spoke highly about the Delhi Half Marathon and urged everyone to run for their own fitness.
“This event has been going on for 19 years now, and that is a very big thing for aspiring Indian long-distance runners as well as the people of Delhi. With the progress that the Indian sports scene has seen over the years, it is no surprise to see the massive support and love that the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon has received over the years, and this time as well. And with another Olympics around the corner, hopefully, that will inspire more runners to make their presence felt,” she said.
