Tejaswin Shankar Breaks National Record to Secure Gold at Asian Indoor Athletics Championships
In a stunning display of athleticism, Indian star Tejaswin Shankar has clinched the gold medal in the men's heptathlon at the ongoing Asian Indoor Athletics Championships. His victory was marked by a remarkable performance, as he scored a total of 5993 points, shattering his own national record of 5650 points set in 2021 and surpassing the championship record of 5928 points established in 2012.
Dominant Performance Across Events
Shankar, who led the competition after the first day, maintained his exceptional form throughout the final three events: the 60m hurdles, pole vault, and 1000m. In the 60m hurdles, he clocked an impressive time of 8.02 seconds, earning 977 points. With two events remaining, he held a commanding lead of nearly 485 points over his closest rival.
In the pole vault, Shankar secured fourth place with a height of 4.20m, adding 673 points to bring his tally to 5163 points. He concluded the heptathlon with a strong finish in the 1000m, placing second with a time of 2:43.91, which contributed 830 points and elevated his total to the record-breaking 5993 points.
First-Day Excellence Sets the Stage
On the opening day of the heptathlon, Shankar laid a solid foundation for his gold medal triumph. He began with the 60m dash, recording a time of 7.11 seconds to earn 844 points. In the long jump, he achieved a distance of 7.53m, adding 942 points to his score. His shot put performance saw a best throw of 13.63m, which brought in 706 points.
The highlight of Day 1 was the high jump, where Shankar recorded a season-best height of 2.23m, earning 1021 points and propelling him to the top of the leaderboard. This early dominance set the tone for his eventual victory.
Mixed Emotions Despite Historic Achievement
Despite securing the gold medal, breaking the national record, and setting a new championship record, Shankar expressed disappointment after narrowly missing the 6000-point mark by just 7 points. In a heartfelt post on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, he shared his bittersweet feelings: "Never won a gold at a major championship before... always dreamt about it... thought it makes you happy... Set a championship record... But I'm the saddest person today... 2 days of labor and 7 points short... sports is cruel."
Background and Future Prospects
Shankar, who also holds the national decathlon record of 7826 points set last year in Poland and won a silver medal in decathlon at the 2023 Asian Games, is now setting his sights on achieving 8000 points in the decathlon. His performance at the Asian Indoor Championships serves as an encouraging sign for this ambitious goal, showcasing his potential for future success on the international stage.
Other Indian Medalists at the Championships
While Shankar's gold was India's sole top finish, the country secured additional medals on the final day of the competition. The other Indian medalists included:
- Pooja: Silver medal in women's high jump with a height of 1.87m.
- Tajinderpal Singh Toor: Silver medal in men's shot put, achieving a season-best throw of 20.05m, with other legal throws of 19.49m and 19.85m.
- Ancy Sojan: Bronze medal in women's long jump, with a best jump of 6.21m and other legal jumps of 6.02m and 6.20m.
Notably, promising long jumper Shahnawaz Khan narrowly missed a medal, finishing in fourth place. Overall, India placed sixth in the medals tally, with China leading the chart with 34 medals, including 10 gold, 11 silver, and 13 bronze.
