Tejaswin Shankar Shines on Day 1 of National Federation Cup 2026

Tejaswin Shankar's Remarkable Performance

On the opening day of the National Federation Cup 2026 held in Ranchi, decathlete Tejaswin Shankar delivered an impressive performance. Aiming for the unprecedented 8000-point milestone, he accumulated 4511 points after completing five events. By the end of the first day, the national record holder in both high jump and decathlon had already achieved three personal bests, solidifying his status as one of India's premier athletes.

The 26-year-old athlete kicked off his day with a personal best of 10.77 seconds in the 100m sprint, followed by another record of 7.67m in the long jump. He then recorded a shot put distance of 13.31m, but the highlight came when he cleared an astonishing 2.25m in the high jump. This remarkable feat has only been accomplished by six decathletes in history, making him the second athlete in the 21st century to achieve such a height in a combined events competition.

Tejaswin is no stranger to clearing the 2.25m mark, having accomplished this height on 20 different occasions throughout his high jump career. However, he wasn't finished after setting these impressive records. He returned for the final event of the day, achieving another personal best with a time of 48.29 seconds in the 400m race, capping off a phenomenal day. The 4511 points he scored on this day marked the highest first-day decathlon score of his career, placing him among an elite group of athletes. Prior to Tejaswin, only 45 decathletes had surpassed the 4500-point threshold after the first day of a decathlon. As the competition continues, all eyes will be on Tejaswin as he aims to become the first Indian to reach the 8000-point mark, a feat previously deemed unimaginable for Indian athletes.