Sreeshankar speaks about how tough weather conditions affected his jump in the Diamond League

Murali Sreeshankar finished fifth at the Lausanne Diamond League, registering a sub-par jump of 7.88m. This was also his worst performance of the season.

Sreeshankar attributed the poor show to the adverse weather conditions and lack of recovery time after competing in the National Inter-State last month. The conditions in Lausanne meant that none of the long jumpers could register a big jump, with LaQuan Nairn of Bahamas winning with a jump of 8.11m.

"The conditions were not that favourable in Lausanne. It was cold, windy, and drizzling. I was not able to get my approach right; all my take-offs were 30 to 40 centimetres behind the board; I was not able to get my feet properly while taking off; that was the main issue," he told PTI.

Although the main learning for Sreeshankar for Lausanne will be to have proper recovery time after any competition. "I was nowhere close to my rhythm in Lausanne, but getting used to these competitive drills and adapting to different conditions, however harsh they may be, is very important," said Murali.