Glasgow: Under challenging conditions, Indian athlete Tejaswin Shankar achieved a feat that was a first in Commonwealth Games history. The 27-year-old Tejaswin created history by winning the bronze medal in the men’s decathlon event. He became the first Indian athlete to win a medal in the men’s decathlon at the Commonwealth Games.
Tejaswin scored a total of 7,976 points in the gruelling two-day competition, which saw him demonstrate his speed, strength, technique and endurance across 10 different events.
Tejaswin is a development athlete under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) and his performance is being considered a major achievement for Indian athletics.
Tejaswin with Lyndon Victor and Damien Warner on the podium
Lyndon Victor of Grenada won the decathlon gold medal with a score of 8,096. Canada’s star athlete Damien Warner finished second with a score of 8,036 and took the silver medal.
Tejaswin finished third with 7,976 points and took home the bronze medal. Sharing the podium with these two legendary athletes became a significant achievement in his career.
This isn’t Tejaswin’s first Commonwealth Games medal, though. He previously won a bronze medal in the men’s high jump at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. This time, he won a decathlon medal, performing consistently in not just one, but 10 different events.
He was in second place on the first day with 4,339 points.
Tejaswin’s decathlon campaign began with the 100m race, which he completed in 10.96 seconds and scored 870 points.
This was followed by a brilliant performance in the long jump. He leaped 7.82 meters, a personal best. This effort earned him 1,015 points.
Tejaswin showcased his expertise in high jump, clearing a height of 2.15m and scoring 944 points.
At the end of the first day, he had 4,339 points, placing him second in the points table, just 14 points behind Canada’s Damien Warner.
Despite fatigue, the performance continued on the second day.
The competition became even tougher on the second day. The continuous competitions had already taken their toll on the athletes, but Tejaswin continued his fight.
He completed the 110m hurdles in 14.41 seconds, earning 922 points. He then threw a personal best of 40.44m in the discus throw, earning him 674 points.
Tejaswin leaped 4.30 meters in the pole vault to score 702 points. He then achieved his season’s best throw of 53.12 meters in the javelin throw, earning him 635 points.
After the javelin throw, Tejaswin was in a strong position at third place ahead of the decisive 1500m race.
She won bronze in the 1500m with full force.
The final and decisive event of the decathlon was the 1500-meter race. After two days of continuous running, jumping, and throwing, his body was already exhausted, but Tejaswin took on the final challenge with full strength.
He completed the 1500m race in 4 minutes 36.19 seconds and scored 704 points for it.
With these points, his total score reached 7,976 and he secured the bronze medal.
Tejaswin’s achievement is much bigger than a medal
This bronze medal of Tejaswin Shankar is also special because he has won a medal for India for the first time in the decathlon event of the Commonwealth Games.
Having already won a Commonwealth medal in the high jump, Tejaswin proved his versatility by completing the challenge of 10 different events this time around. His performance offers renewed hope for multi-sport events like the decathlon in Indian athletics.
PM Modi congratulated
Congratulating Tejaswin Shankar, PM Modi said, “Indian athletes continue to make history and bring glory to the country! Tejaswin Shankar won the bronze medal in the men’s decathlon event at the Glasgow CWG. He delivered a brilliant all-round performance across 10 events. Congratulations to him. May he continue to achieve such success. My best wishes.”