Despite battling a painful patellar tendon injury that threatened to derail his Commonwealth Games campaign, Tejaswin Shankar has refused to surrender. At the halfway stage of the decathlon, the Indian athlete sits second in the standings and remains firmly in contention for a medal, driven by determination and resilience.
After withdrawing from the men's high jump final, an emotional Tejaswin had suggested that his Commonwealth Games journey might be over. However, on Thursday, July 30, he returned to compete in the opening five events of the decathlon.
His comeback was made possible by the efforts of the medical team, who worked extensively to get him fit enough to compete. Still, the competition began on a difficult note as Tejaswin finished last in the 100m, clocking 10.96 seconds.
A disappointing start that could have shattered his confidence instead strengthened his resolve, as he chose to continue despite the odds.
Supported by the entire Indian contingent
Tejaswin revealed that throughout the two days leading up to the competition, nearly every member of the Indian athletics contingent checked on his condition.
As he underwent treatment and rehabilitation while coping with sleepless nights because of the injury, teammates regularly stopped to ask how he was feeling, whether at the competition venue or in the athletes' village dining hall.
According to Tejaswin, every athlete in the Indian team reached out to him, making the atmosphere feel less like an individual athletics competition and more like a team sport.
He added that many teammates also came to cheer him on during the competition and expressed how difficult it had been to watch him become emotional after the injury.
For Tejaswin, the overwhelming support made him realise that his Commonwealth Games campaign had become about more than his personal medal ambitions.
He said the experience showed him that the Indian athletics team had evolved into a close-knit unit where athletes support one another through both triumphs and setbacks.
Tejaswin expressed hope that this culture would continue to grow, replacing the traditional mindset of athletes focusing solely on their own events with one built around collective encouragement and shared success.
He said Indian athletes want track and field to become a sport where competitors celebrate one another's achievements and stand together during difficult moments.
The high jumper added that he was proud to see his teammates embracing that spirit and helping create such an environment.
A remarkable display of resilience
Inspired by that support, Tejaswin produced an outstanding performance across the five disciplines contested on the opening day.
Although he began with a last-place finish in the 100m, worth 870 points, and concluded the day with a gruelling 400m in 49.51 seconds for 837 points—later describing the final stretch as feeling like "a bear had latched onto my back"—his performances in between transformed his position.
He registered a personal best of 7.82 metres in the long jump, earning 1,015 points, before producing an impressive clearance of 2.15 metres in his signature high jump event, adding another 944 points.
The high jump performance carried added significance as it came just days after he had been forced to withdraw from the individual high jump competition because of his knee injury, where he had been considered a strong medal contender.
Despite the injury, Tejaswin returned to clear 2.15 metres in the decathlon.
He also recorded 13.09 metres in the shot put, collecting 673 points.
Second after five events
At the end of Day 1, Tejaswin occupies second place in the decathlon standings with 4,339 points.
He trails Canada's Damian Warner by just 14 points while maintaining a 90-point advantage over England's Sammy Ball in third place.
His position is all the more remarkable considering the circumstances. An injury had already ended his hopes of an individual high jump medal, and his opening event produced the slowest time in the field. Yet, by the close of the day, he remained one of the leading contenders for the decathlon title.
As the competition resumes with the remaining events, including the pole vault, javelin throw and 1500m, Tejaswin continues his pursuit of a medal with the backing of an Indian contingent that stood firmly behind him throughout his recovery.
For the Indian athlete, that collective support may prove to be just as meaningful as any medal.
In a discipline built around individual performances and personal scores, his injury brought out a powerful sense of unity within the Indian team.
