Tejaswin Shankar has already broken new ground twice at the Commonwealth Games, but the Indian decathlete now has his sights set on a bigger prize — an Asian Games gold and, eventually, an Olympic medal.

The 27-year-old became the first Indian to win a Commonwealth Games medal in the men’s high jump when he cleared 2.22m for bronze in Birmingham in 2022.

Four years later, he added another first to his name by becoming the first Indian to win a Commonwealth Games medal in the decathlon, claiming bronze and further underlining his emergence as a multi-event athlete.

With the Asian Games six weeks away, Shankar is looking to build on the steady progress he has made this season and is targeting nothing short of a personal best and a shot at gold.

“Last year, at this time, I was around 7,800 points. This year, all three decathlons that I’ve done up until this point have been about 150-200 points better than my last year,” Shankar told PTI in an interaction.

“So I’ve definitely progressed. I’m very happy with the progress that I’ve made in this one year. But we still have two years to kind of make those adjustments and try to find another 300-400 points so that we are competitive at the Olympic level.”

Shankar, however, expects a tough contest at the Asian Games, with several athletes having crossed the 8,000-point mark or come close to it this season.

“Last year, I was able to get a silver medal at 7,666 points. But going by what the performances have been this year, I don’t even know if that will win a bronze medal or be on the podium at all,” he said.

“I’m aiming for nothing short of a personal best at the Asian Games. I want to go out there, give my best and try and land on the gold medal podium. That’s my goal.”

Shankar had been hoping for a personal best in Glasgow as well, but a knee issue during the individual high jump competition affected his plans. He nevertheless returned to compete in the decathlon two days later and won bronze.

The setback has helped him identify areas that need attention before the Asian Games.

Shankar will not compete in the individual high jump at the continental event and will focus solely on the decathlon.

Also read | Podium finish: On India at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games

“Now we know what can go wrong, so we’ll try and address that over these next six weeks, try and really bulletproof the knee so that I give myself the best chance,” he said.

Despite shifting his primary focus to the decathlon, Shankar has not given up on high jump and said he would eventually try to reclaim the National record from Sarvesh Kushare.

“Decathlon is the event that I’m primarily focused on and I want to do my best in this event. But high jump is a part of the decathlon. It’s one of the 10 events,” he said.

“For Sarvesh (Kushare) to break the record, the real competitor in me wants to reclaim that. At some point, I will obviously try and reclaim that record.”

Shankar, who is in line for the Arjuna Award, said the recognition would be another significant milestone. “To be able to land among some of the best athletes and sportspeople in our country and to receive it with them in front of the President of India, I think it’s a very big honour,” he said.

The recognition, he added, would motivate him to continue chasing bigger goals, including medals at the Olympics and World Championships.

“I feel like there are a lot of things that I still want to do in the sport. So I think this is a great beginning chapter,’ Shankar said.

“If I can be an athlete who’s competing at the age of 38 or somebody who’s representing India at the 2036 Olympics as a 40-year-old, I feel like that’ll be the biggest flex that I can ever have in my whole life,” he said.

“I want to have a very long career and do everything in my power to increase the lifespan of my sporting career. So I think the goal is not the medal, but to stay consistent and stay fit for as long as I can. Because if that happens, then the medals follow,” he added.

Published – August 20, 2026 02:44 am IST

Victoria’s decision to pull out of hosting the Commonwealth Games (CWG) in July 2023, citing unsustainable costs, plunged the multi-sport event into uncertainty.

There were fears that the 2026 Games might not be held at all. For nearly a year, the search for a replacement host went on.

Gold Coast, the 2018 host, along with Singapore and Malaysia, figured prominently before Glasgow officially stepped up to host the event in September 2024, returning after its successful staging of the 2014 Games.

Realising the spiralling organising costs, Glasgow tactfully cut the number of disciplines to 10 across four venues, a considerable reduction from Birmingham 2022 where 19 sports were staged across 15 venues. In many ways, the Glasgow Games beginning on July 23 can be credited with saving the Games from losing its relevance.

Describing it as the ‘Reimagined Games’, George Black, Chair, and Phil Batty, Chief Executive Officer, Glasgow 2026, wrote: “Glasgow 2026 is being realised with 150 million pounds of investment. The competition is being entirely privately funded. A self-sustaining, ground-breaking Games delivery model.”

It might be a scaled-down Games, but make no mistake there will be no shortage of star power, including Olympic medallists, world champions and reigning CWG title-holders.

Leading India’s charge will be Tokyo Olympics gold medallist and former world champion Neeraj Chopra in the men’s javelin. The Indian ace will be challenged by Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, the Paris Olympic champion and defending CWG titlist.

The athletics arena will be headlined by Scotland’s reigning world mile record holder Josh Kerr, and England’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson, the 2023 world champion and Paris Olympics silver medallist in the heptathlon.

Jamaica’s Danielle Williams, the 2023 world champion in the women’s 100m hurdles, and Kenya’s Faith Cherotich, the Paris Olympics bronze medallist in the women’s 3000m steeplechase, are among the biggest names set to light up Glasgow.

India’s medal hopes in athletics will rest on Avinash Sable (3000m steeplechase), Tejaswin Shankar (decathlon), M. Sreeshankar (long jump), Abdulla Aboobacker (triple jump), Parul Chaudhary (5000m and 10,000m), Jyothi Yarraji (100m hurdles) and Annu Rani (women’s javelin throw). Will Indian athletes be able to overhaul their 2022 medal tally of eight or surpass their best medal haul of 12 from the 2010 home CWG?

A sizeable share of India’s medals will also come from boxing and weightlifting. At Birmingham, Indian boxers won seven medals while the weightlifters returned with 10.

In the boxing ring, Lovlina Borgohain, the Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist, will be looking for her maiden CWG medal. The others to keep an eye on are Jaismine Lamboria (57kg) and Sachin Siwach (60kg).

In weightlifting, Mirabai Chanu (48kg) will be aiming to complete a historic hat-trick of CWG gold medals. Harjinder Kaur (71kg), Vikas Thakur (89kg), Bindyarani Devi (58kg), Gyaneshwari Yadav (53kg) and S. Sanjana (63kg) are among India’s other leading medal hopes.

Transforming fortunes

The Games had transformed the fortunes of several Indian sportspersons in ways even they scarcely could have imagined. Sharath Kamal, Mirabai and Manika Batra are among the finest examples.

Will the ‘Reimagined Games’ produce a few more young Indian stars?

Published – July 22, 2026 10:47 pm IST

On June 27 evening, immediately after Sarvesh Kushare ended his four-year quest to better Tejaswin Shankar’s eight-year-old high jump National record of 2.28m at the National inter-state athletics meet at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar by clearing 2.31m, Tejaswin took to his ‘X’ handle to write: “Another mental barrier broken!! 2.30+ was probably the last of the sticky records. 2.34-35 is just a matter of time.”

Worlds and Olympics gold medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra endorsed Tejaswin’s statement, and Sarvesh’s achievement of becoming the first Indian to go past 2.30m, by reposting it.

With very few world-class marks to their name, Indian athletes’ hunger for success is understandable. Perhaps that appetite kept 30-year-old Sarvesh patient in the hunt to surpass the 2.30m barrier. He had missed it by a whisker when he recorded 2.28m at the Federation meet in Ranchi a month ago, before seeing his perseverance rewarded.

No excuse

“At 2.28m, my ankle slipped a little in Ranchi. I was in good condition. I still had a light injury. But I had to do it today. There was no excuse. The weather was good. The ground was also good. Overall, there was a lot of motivation. I also held the Asian Games qualifying mark for the first time. I’m improving — what more can I ask for!” said Sarvesh.

“My body felt good. My coach had said it would happen this time. I was determined. 2.30m was not happening despite my long-time effort to get it. So, I thought today I would do 2.31m. It was a lot of fun doing that,” said Sarvesh, as he displayed different antics as the bar went up and up and he kept sailing over it effortlessly.

“It was very difficult to go above 2.30m. If Tejaswin had not done 2.28m in 2018, I would not have come this far. I was also progressing slowly. Today, by the grace of God, everything went well. I have tried this during training, but I had not done it so well prior to today. Since our preparation was top-class, anything was possible.”

Now, 2.31m has placed Sarvesh as the joint fourth season leader in the world, along with British jumper Kimani Jack, and first in Asia, ahead of tied-sixth spot holders Japan’s Naoto Hasegawa and Tomohiro Shinno and Korea’s Sanghyeok Woo, who have all cleared 2.30m. “Everyone wants to win a gold medal at the Asian Games. I will also try to win one,” said Sarvesh.

Pressure under control

Sarvesh’s coach Jithin Thomas, a former Asian silver medallist with a personal best of 2.22m, shared his thoughts about the feat. “This time, the pressure was under control. I told him to stay focused and control the pressure. This time, the work was about that. I knew if we controlled the pressure, then the jump would happen.”

For Sarvesh, who competed in the Paris Olympics and was a finalist at the Tokyo World Championships last year, the right pace of his run-up did the trick. Apart from the requisite exercises, visualisation is a main activity in Sarvesh’s training.

“The difference was the run-up. Earlier, he used to pick up speed from the beginning and move uncontrollably. He was trying to speed up too early. Now, in the beginning, the speed was under control. Then gradually, it went up. He was trained that way. He needs to work on it. I told him, ‘Stay focused and you will clear it smoothly.’

“I told him that no one has done 2.30m in India. If you do 2.30m, your name will be up there as long as high jump is there in India.

Patience pays

“In high jump, there is a mark for everyone. Then it becomes stagnant. Some people pursue it for two-three years and leave it. If you have patience, then you will be able to improve it. Because Sarvesh had the patience, he could do it. There was this belief that he would do it, so now there is relief. It’s the greatest day of my life. “Because he had done (well earlier), he was after it. We were focused. We were careful that he should not pick up any injuries. There were small injuries. Still, we were focused. We kept talking about it. The mark kept improving and we were able to do it.”

With a smile, Sarvesh, who hails from a village near Nashik in Maharashtra, quipped, “He (Jithin) spoke very little to me this week. I don’t know what he was thinking.”

Sarvesh acknowledges that the support extended by his coach, his family, his employer the Indian Army, his sponsor OGQ, and the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) played a key role in his journey. “I am confident. If the training goes well and there are no injuries, then confidence will increase. If everyone’s support is there, then we can go ahead. Especially my coach, who has not taken any leave for seven months, and my family members are very supportive. That’s why I am able to do it. Otherwise, I would have been disturbed.”

Sarvesh is happy to note that Indian jumpers, including women’s National record holder Pooja Singh — who, like Sarvesh, trains at the Anju Bobby George Academy in Bengaluru — are doing well. “Yes, it did impact me mentally that Pooja broke the National mark. She set a record of 1.93m. We were thinking that we would do well. She made a National record before me. I did it after her. Dev Meena is also doing well in pole vault. He is also breaking National records. This is a good year for jumpers.” Needless to say, long jumpers Ancy Sojan, who broke Anju’s 22-year-old National record, and M. Sreeshankar and Shahnavaz Khan, who achieved his season best, are also among the Indians who have achieved world-class marks this season.

Encouraging sign

Even in men’s high jump, the presence of some good athletes, including Tejaswin, Adarsh Ram, and Basant, is an encouraging sign. “A pool of jumpers should be there — only then can there be improvement. Otherwise, Sarvesh will be alone. Whoever achieves something first, his name remains up there,” said Jithin.

After breaching the 2.30m peak in June, Sarvesh became the first Indian high jumper to earn a podium, by finishing third with a mark of 2.26m, on his Diamond League debut in Monaco on July 10. Now, Sarvesh and his coach Jithin are bubbling with confidence while eyeing higher marks and glorious medals in the upcoming Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. “I hope Sarvesh maintains his focus and patience. He will go far,” said Jithin.

Published – July 15, 2026 11:56 pm IST

Tejaswin Shankar, the National record holder in high jump and decathlon, loves to break barriers, especially the tougher ones. When he ruled the high jump scene in India, he chose to switch to the much tougher decathlon and put himself through harder tests.

After becoming the first Indian to cross 8,000 points (8,057) in decathlon in the Federation athletics meet at the Birsa Munda Stadium (Morabadi) in Ranchi, Tejaswin — an Asian Games silver medallist in decathlon and a high jump bronze winner at the Commonwealth Games — was relieved.

What made it possible

Four personal bests (in 100m, long jump, 400m and 1500m) were achieved, courtesy a combination of factors — his sound knowledge of the disciplines, meticulous planning, hard work and support system. “The 8,000-point barrier is officially broken. No more worrying about wind or asterisks. I was very happy to achieve it because I had two chances this season. In heptathlon, I did 5,997, and that stung. Before that, my best was around 5,657. I knew I was in shape for 6,000. When you’re that close, it hurts more,” Tejaswin said.

“Same thing happened three-four months later at my first decathlon event [of the season] in San Angelo. I had an explosive day one again. On the second day, I had breakthroughs in pole vault. Then in 1500m, all I needed was 4:40 to break the 8,000-point mark. I ran 4:51; I had never run that slow. The weather was tough (challenging), but that’s not an excuse. You train to handle any situation. I missed 8,000 by 53 points. I told myself ‘next time, no matter how far behind I am, I’ll cover it’.”

A friendly taunt from his wife Siddhi Hiray motivated Tejaswin. In Ranchi, he targeted a time of 4:37 in 1500m to get to 8,000 points, but he managed to clock 4:29 to reach where he was longing for.

Tejaswin understands his game well. “Everyone’s a different beast. Everyone has their own way. I made 8,000 in one way, someone else made it differently. Some have even scores across the board. Not many do 2.25m in high jump (in decathlon), and no one does 40m in javelin and still scores 8,000. It’s a weird balance. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. I play to mine: build a massive score on day one, and then do damage control on day two. As I improve in those events, I can score more.”

Double delight

The 27-year-old, who recorded 2.25m during decathlon to breach the qualifying mark in high jump, felt that he could improve in his pet discipline. He also made the cut in decathlon.

“I think so. It has been a breakthrough year for me in high jump. In my first competition (in January), I did 2.26m. Then, it was 2.23m at Asian Indoors. Here (under pressure with lights going off and the competition stretching for three hours), I did 2.25m. My average is really good. Surprisingly, it’s better than my performance in the last Olympics year when I was fully prepared for high jump. That stings more.”

So, does he wish to compete in both high jump and decathlon at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games? “I don’t know the full schedule. I know that decathlon is on July 30 and 31. High jump is also there, but I don’t know the order. Based on what I did here, I think I can do it. But if high jump is scheduled right after decathlon and I’m not running 400m, I might try.”

Support system’s role

Tejaswin underlined the importance of a robust support system — which includes his wife, sister Avantika and strength and conditioning coach Wayne Lombard — and stressed that it helped him succeed in an arduous event like decathlon.

“With 10 events, it’s a mental battle. You’re competing for two consecutive days, you’re emotionally up and down. Right now, I can sit and talk comfortably, but they know how much grief I’ve given them over the last two days. You need a support system that understands [your situation]. I’m not justifying being mean, but you need people who push you in the right direction, ensure that you in the right headspace and help with everything you need,” Tejaswin said.

“I scored 8,000 points, but without those people — Wayne helping with nutrition between/after/before events, Siddhi yelling splits, my sister shouting ‘Chalo bhaiya’ — it wouldn’t have been possible. Those things distract you in crucial moments because you get caught in your own emotions.

“At such times, you need people to distract you. You prepare all year, but if your mind takes over, it’s a problem. You want muscle memory to happen. They keep telling me that I have it in me. I just have to execute — make that 4.20m bar, run 4:29 to achieve the big goal.”

Looking at the bigger picture

While enjoying his moment of glory in Ranchi, Tejaswin kept an eye on two athletes — sprinters Gurindervir Singh and Vishal T.K., who became the first Indians to go below 10.10 and 45 seconds in 100m and 400m respectively and made it a memorable day for athletics lovers. He looked at the bigger picture of India producing more world-class athletes.

“It’s a Commonwealth Games year, and people delivered their best in tough conditions. What happened with Animesh Kujur and Gurindervir going back to back (lowering the 100m National record in the semifinals), and Gurindervir dominating (the final) was phenomenal. In decathlon, I got 8,000, while N. Thowfeeq was right at 7,530, which would’ve been enough for the bronze medal at the last Commonwealth Games. He’ll learn,” Tejaswin said.

“Now, it’s on me to push the barrier. If I don’t, in two Federation Cups, Thowfeeq will be at 8,000. That’s how sport grows. You always want one or two people to push the envelope. Neeraj Chopra is the best example — he scored 90m. Now there are eight-nine javelin throwers with 80-85-86m.

“There are good things happening. It’s about harnessing this talent and taking it to the next level. The good athletes get opportunities and extra support. This year, I was supposed to compete in one or two competitions as per rules, but I was allowed to do decathlon. Such exemptions are necessary.

“They didn’t push me to compete in an event. That would have been a waste of energy. I know that I have to do a trial at the Federation meet, but doing one high jump meet just to hit the standard is too much. Others also got exemptions. I am happy that things have progressed,” Tejaswin explained.

He signed off with a lot of optimism as the country looks forward to putting up better performances at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games this year as well as the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

Tejaswin Shankar, the National record holder in high jump and decathlon, loves to break barriers, especially the tougher ones. When he ruled the high jump scene in India, he chose to switch to the much tougher decathlon and put himself through harder tests.

After becoming the first Indian to cross 8,000 points (8,057) in decathlon in the Federation athletics meet at the Birsa Munda Stadium (Morabadi) in Ranchi, Tejaswin — an Asian Games silver medallist in decathlon and a high jump bronze winner at the Commonwealth Games — was relieved.

What made it possible

Four personal bests (in 100m, long jump, 400m and 1500m) were achieved, courtesy a combination of factors — his sound knowledge of the disciplines, meticulous planning, hard work and support system. “The 8,000-point barrier is officially broken. No more worrying about wind or asterisks. I was very happy to achieve it because I had two chances this season. In heptathlon, I did 5,997, and that stung. Before that, my best was around 5,657. I knew I was in shape for 6,000. When you’re that close, it hurts more,” Tejaswin said.

“Same thing happened three-four months later at my first decathlon event [of the season] in San Angelo. I had an explosive day one again. On the second day, I had breakthroughs in pole vault. Then in 1500m, all I needed was 4:40 to break the 8,000-point mark. I ran 4:51; I had never run that slow. The weather was tough (challenging), but that’s not an excuse. You train to handle any situation. I missed 8,000 by 53 points. I told myself ‘next time, no matter how far behind I am, I’ll cover it’.”

A friendly taunt from his wife Siddhi Hiray motivated Tejaswin. In Ranchi, he targeted a time of 4:37 in 1500m to get to 8,000 points, but he managed to clock 4:29 to reach where he was longing for.

Tejaswin understands his game well. “Everyone’s a different beast. Everyone has their own way. I made 8,000 in one way, someone else made it differently. Some have even scores across the board. Not many do 2.25m in high jump (in decathlon), and no one does 40m in javelin and still scores 8,000. It’s a weird balance. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. I play to mine: build a massive score on day one, and then do damage control on day two. As I improve in those events, I can score more.”

Double delight

The 27-year-old, who recorded 2.25m during decathlon to breach the qualifying mark in high jump, felt that he could improve in his pet discipline. He also made the cut in decathlon.

“I think so. It has been a breakthrough year for me in high jump. In my first competition (in January), I did 2.26m. Then, it was 2.23m at Asian Indoors. Here (under pressure with lights going off and the competition stretching for three hours), I did 2.25m. My average is really good. Surprisingly, it’s better than my performance in the last Olympics year when I was fully prepared for high jump. That stings more.”

So, does he wish to compete in both high jump and decathlon at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games? “I don’t know the full schedule. I know that decathlon is on July 30 and 31. High jump is also there, but I don’t know the order. Based on what I did here, I think I can do it. But if high jump is scheduled right after decathlon and I’m not running 400m, I might try.”

Support system’s role

Tejaswin underlined the importance of a robust support system — which includes his wife, sister Avantika and strength and conditioning coach Wayne Lombard — and stressed that it helped him succeed in an arduous event like decathlon.

“With 10 events, it’s a mental battle. You’re competing for two consecutive days, you’re emotionally up and down. Right now, I can sit and talk comfortably, but they know how much grief I’ve given them over the last two days. You need a support system that understands [your situation]. I’m not justifying being mean, but you need people who push you in the right direction, ensure that you in the right headspace and help with everything you need,” Tejaswin said.

“I scored 8,000 points, but without those people — Wayne helping with nutrition between/after/before events, Siddhi yelling splits, my sister shouting ‘Chalo bhaiya’ — it wouldn’t have been possible. Those things distract you in crucial moments because you get caught in your own emotions.

“At such times, you need people to distract you. You prepare all year, but if your mind takes over, it’s a problem. You want muscle memory to happen. They keep telling me that I have it in me. I just have to execute — make that 4.20m bar, run 4:29 to achieve the big goal.”

Looking at the bigger picture

While enjoying his moment of glory in Ranchi, Tejaswin kept an eye on two athletes — sprinters Gurindervir Singh and Vishal T.K., who became the first Indians to go below 10.10 and 45 seconds in 100m and 400m respectively and made it a memorable day for athletics lovers. He looked at the bigger picture of India producing more world-class athletes.

“It’s a Commonwealth Games year, and people delivered their best in tough conditions. What happened with Animesh Kujur and Gurindervir going back to back (lowering the 100m National record in the semifinals), and Gurindervir dominating (the final) was phenomenal. In decathlon, I got 8,000, while N. Thowfeeq was right at 7,530, which would’ve been enough for the bronze medal at the last Commonwealth Games. He’ll learn,” Tejaswin said.

“Now, it’s on me to push the barrier. If I don’t, in two Federation Cups, Thowfeeq will be at 8,000. That’s how sport grows. You always want one or two people to push the envelope. Neeraj Chopra is the best example — he scored 90m. Now there are eight-nine javelin throwers with 80-85-86m.

“There are good things happening. It’s about harnessing this talent and taking it to the next level. The good athletes get opportunities and extra support. This year, I was supposed to compete in one or two competitions as per rules, but I was allowed to do decathlon. Such exemptions are necessary.

“They didn’t push me to compete in an event. That would have been a waste of energy. I know that I have to do a trial at the Federation meet, but doing one high jump meet just to hit the standard is too much. Others also got exemptions. I am happy that things have progressed,” Tejaswin explained.

He signed off with a lot of optimism as the country looks forward to putting up better performances at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games this year as well as the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

Gurindervir Singh and Vishal T.K. smashed the men’s 100m and 400m National records respectively to set the track ablaze in the Federation athletics meet at the Birsa Munda Stadium (Morabadi) here on Saturday.

Tejaswin Shankar added more thrill to the historic evening by finishing his decathlon routine on a high and becoming the first Indian to score 8000-plus points while resetting the National record.

Gurindervir, who posted 10.17 while Animesh Kujur rewrote the National record with 10.15 in the semifinals a day ago, renewed the rivalry with a strong start and putting his rivals under pressure.

He thus became the first Indian to log a sub-10.10 time over the distance. Second-placed Kujur clocked 10.20.

Flashing a sheet of paper with ‘Time is 10.10. Not finished yet’ written on it, Gurindervir, who also qualified for the Commonwealth Games, said, “People say a lot on social media. This is for myself.”

In the 400m semifinals, Vishal (45.27) along with Rajesh Ramesh (45.40) and Jay Kumar (45.47) had gone below Arokia Rajiv’s 10-year-old meet record (45.47).

A day later, the lanky runner gave a confident performance to become the first Indian to record a sub-45 time (44.98) ahead of second-positioned Rajesh Ramesh (45.31). However, he missed the CWG qualifying mark (44.96) narrowly.

“Before the race I fixed my mind. I knew I could run 44, but didn’t tell anyone,” said Vishal.

Tejaswin’s 8057 was good enough to earn him a CWG ticket.

The results (finals): Men: 100m (CWG Q mark 10.16): 1. Gurindervir Singh (Rel) 10.09 (NR, Old 10.15, Animesh Kujur, 2026), 2. Kujur (Odi) 10.20, 3. Pranav Gurav (Rel) 10.29.

400m (CWG Q mark 44.96): 1. Vishal T.K. (TN) 44.98 (NR, Old 45.12, Vishal, 2025), 2. Rajesh Ramesh (TN) 45.31, 3. Jay Kumar (UP) 45.47.

1500m (CWG Q mark 3:30.82): 1. Sakir (Har) 3:45.01, 2. Ajay Kumar Saroj (UP) 3:45.96, 3. Sunil Dawar (MP) 3:46.42.

Decathlon (CWG Q mark 7787): 1. Tejaswin Shankar (Rel) 8057 (NR, Old 7947, Tejaswin, 2026), 2. Thowfeeq N. (NCOE Trivandrum) 7503, 3. Gokul K.R. (Navy) 7157.

Women: 100m (CWG Q mark 11.17): 1. Sudeshna Shivankar (Mah) 11.56s, 2. Giridharani Ravikumar (TN) 11.58, 3. Tamanna (Har) 11.62.

400m (CWG Q mark 51.36): 1. R. Vithya Ramraj (TN) 52.22, 2. Ansa Babu (AIP) 53.07, 3. Prachi (JSW) 53.26.

1500m (CWG Q mark 4:05.09): 1. Pooja (JSW) 4:11.34, 2. Ankita (Utk) 4:12.28, 3. Anju (Har) 4:21.26.

Triple jump (CWG Q mark 14.25m): 1. Niharika Vashisht (Pun) 13.64m (MR, Old 13.57m, Anisha K. Vijayan, 2006), 2. Bhairabi Roy (Rly) 13.28m, 3. Mallala Anusha (AP) 13.28m.

Shot put (CWG Q mark 17.62m): 1. Krishna Jayasankar (Rel) 17.35m, 2. Yogita (Har) 16.82m, 3. Shiksha (Rel) 16.61m.

Pole vault (CWG Q mark 4.45m): 1. Baranica Elangovan (TN) 4.10m (MR, Old 4.06m, Krishna Rachan, 2019), 2. Nitika Akare (MP) 4.10m, 3. Krishna Rachan (Rly) 3.90m.

Javelin (CWG Q mark 59.79m): 1. Shilpa Rani (Har) 56.46m, 2. Annu Rani (UP) 55.91m, 3. Rashmi K. (AP) 54.85m.

Published – May 23, 2026 09:54 pm IST

Sprinter Animesh Kujur and decathlete Tejaswin Shankar share a light moment on the eve of the Federation athletics meet at Birsa Munda stadium in Ranchi on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: RITU RAJ KONWAR

On his way to winning the gold medal in the heptathlon, Shankar collected 5993 points to better his own national indoor mark of 5650 points set in 2021 in the USA. File
| Photo Credit: PTI