Tejaswin Shankar’s situation is a fairly classic example of how elite athletics selection systems balance selection trials with practical performance management.
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has effectively confirmed that the National Inter-State Senior Championships will remain the primary selection event for the Asian Games, but not an absolute, one-size-fits-all rule. That’s why Tejaswin Shankar has been granted an exemption.
The reasoning is quite straightforward from a sports science perspective: decathlon is not a single event but a two-day, 10-discipline endurance test covering sprints, jumps, throws, and distance running. Asking an athlete to peak for two full decathlons within a short recovery window increases injury risk and can significantly distort performance. That’s what AFI Planning Commission chair Lalit Bhanot was pointing to when he emphasized recovery time.
So instead of forcing a potentially unnecessary second decathlon, the selectors are leaning on his existing form — especially his recent national record at the Federation Cup — as sufficient evidence of readiness. In other words, his performance data is already strong enough that repeating the event would add limited selection value but meaningful physical risk.
This also reflects a broader selection philosophy the AFI sometimes uses for multi-event athletes: when an athlete has already met or exceeded a clear performance benchmark in the same season, they can be assessed on that result rather than being forced into every qualifying meet.
The important nuance here is that exemption doesn’t mean automatic selection. He is still “in contention,” not guaranteed a spot. The final Asian Games squad will still be decided by the selection committee based on form, fitness, and comparability with other athletes in the field.
The cases of sprinters like Gurindervir Singh and steeplechaser Avinash Sable show the contrast: in events with easier recovery and more frequent competition cycles, AFI is far less flexible. Decathlon is the exception, not the rule.
So practically, for Tejaswin Shankar, this exemption reduces immediate physical risk while keeping his selection pathway intact — but he will still need to remain competitive against whoever delivers strong performances at the Inter-State meet.
