Tejaswin Shankar Makes History at Commonwealth Games with Decathlon Bronze
Tejaswin Shankar's Historic Achievement
File image of Indian athlete Tejaswin Shankar(Photo: @narendramodi/X)
Glasgow, August 1: Tejaswin Shankar has etched his name in the annals of Indian athletics by becoming the first Indian to secure a medal in Men's Decathlon at a major international multi-sport event during the Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow on Friday.
The athlete, who transitioned from high jump to decathlon, has also made history by being the first Indian to earn medals in two distinct events at the Commonwealth Games, having previously won a bronze in men's high jump during the 2022 Birmingham edition.
Tejaswin, the first Indian decathlete to surpass the 8,000-point threshold, clinched a bronze medal in Glasgow with a score of 7,976 points in this demanding track and field event.
Currently the reigning Asian Champion in both heptathlon and decathlon, Tejaswin finished behind Victor Lindon from Grenada, who achieved a season-best of 8,096 points, while Canada's Damian Warner secured the silver with 8,036 points.
Throughout the multi-day competition, the 27-year-old athlete began with a 7th place finish in the 100m, clocking in at 10.96 seconds (870 points), followed by a long jump of 7.82m, earning him 1,015 points and moving him into third place overall. He accumulated 673 points in shot put, cleared 2.15m in high jump for 944 points, and finished fifth in the 400m race, adding 837 points to his total, which brought him to 4,339 points after five events, placing him second in the standings.
Tejaswin earned 922 points in the 110m hurdles, a modest 674 in discus throw, and 704 in pole vault, which caused him to drop to fourth place overall. However, a strong performance in javelin throw propelled him back into medal contention, and he secured his bronze by scoring 704 points in the 1500m race, culminating in a total of 7,976 points.
As the national record holder in decathlon, Tejaswin is a graduate of Kansas State University, where he won two NCAA Division I titles in high jump. He has successfully competed in both high jump and combined events on national and international stages. Tejaswin gained recognition in high jump after setting the Indian record of 2.29m in 2018. At the 2022 Commonwealth Games, he became the first Indian male high jumper to win a medal, later shifting his focus to combined events and earning a silver medal in decathlon at the 2022 Asian Games.