Long jumper Murali Sreeshankar to skip Diamond League final to focus on Asian Games

New Delhi, Sep 7 (IANS) Indian long jumper Murali Sreeshankar will skip next week's Diamond League final in Eugene, USA, to focus on the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, to be held later this month.

Sreeshankar has decided to prioritise the men's long jump qualifying round at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, which is just 12 days after the Diamond League final scheduled for September 17.

"India's long jumper Sreeshankar has decided to skip next week's Diamond League Final in Eugene and focus on Hangzhou Asian Games," the official handle of the Asian Games shared the information.

The 24-year-old became the first Indian long jumper to qualify for the Diamond League final after his fifth-place finish at the Zurich leg earlier this month. Before the Zurich leg, he finished third and fifth in the Paris and Lausanne legs, respectively.

Athletes get qualifying points based on their finishing positions in each leg of the Diamond League. The top six athletes, after all the legs, make the cut for the season-ending finale.

Olympic and World champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and 3000m steeple chaser Avinash Sable are the other two Indians who have qualified for the Diamond Final, scheduled on September 16 and 17.

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