Long jumper Sreeshankar books Tokyo Olympics ticket with new national record

India's Murali Sreeshankar won himself a long jump berth at the Tokyo Olympics after breaking his own national record to set a new mark of 8.26m at the Federation Cup in Patiala, Punjab on Tuesday.

21-year-old Sreeshankar came up with a fantastic jump in his 5th attempt as he went past the Olympic qualification mark of 8.22m. Notably, Sreeshankar's previous best was 8.20m. The young long jumper has been impressive over the years and it's fitting that he heads to Tokyo for his maiden Olympic Games appearance.

"Sreeshankar qualifies for Olympics! #TOPSAthlete long



jumper #Sreeshankar has qualified for #Tokyo2020 with a national record jump of 8.26m at the Federation Cup. He surpassed his own record of 8.20m and the Olympic qualifying mark of 8.22m," the Sports Authority of India said in a tweet on Tuesday.

Sreeshankar has been clearing the 8m mark comfortably in the recent past but the big push came in Patiala on Tuesday. Notably, Sreeshankar had won the men's long jump gold at Indian Grand Prix in February with a jump of 8.05m. Notably, he missed the podium at the Asian Games in 2018 as he finished at the fourth spot with a 7.83m jump.