Tejaswin Shankar silenced all his critics after winning the silver medal in the men's high jump event at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Before the event, the high jumper faced many perils. First, he was denied a spot in the squad by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) even though he achieved the required qualifying mark. But then, he was included only after a Delhi court direction, only to be informed later by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) that the organisers did not accept his entry.
Tejaswin thought that his dream of representing India at the mega-event was over. But all was not lost in his life. On June 22, the IOA informed Tejaswin that the organisers had accepted his entry with less than a week to go. And the rest is history.
Now back in India, the lanky athlete caught up with Sports Today during the felicitation ceremony for the medal-winners, and was ecstatic at his own performance, despite the tough conditions while refusing to hide behind the problems prior to the competition's curtain raiser.
See the full interview here:
"I feel like I can say yes, but I also feel like that would be an excuse that I'd be hiding behind. Because on that day, the guy that I jumped against, Brendon Starc, jumped 2.25. And he's a 2.36 calibre jumper. Hamish Cole, who won the gold medal at 2.25, he's a 2.30-plus calibre jumper."
"So, as a whole, the field struggled to perform at a high level on that day. It was a low jumping, high jump competition. But that said, I feel like I was capable of jumping what I did that day, and I don't have any regrets about whether I could have jumped more or less. I did what I had to, and I'm extremely happy about it."
The biggest advantage that Tejaswin took from his performance was the ranking points which will greatly benefit him in future competitions, “The sport has changed a little bit. The ranking points have come into play and now you have to strategically think about what competitions you want to compete in or which competitions will benefit you the most… So, competing in the Commonwealth Games for me personally, was it was extremely helpful.”
And now, he is all ready to move back to the USA — where he has been studying and training since 2017 — and start his new challenge with Deloitte, "But that being said, it just comes down to preparation and having a plan. And I feel like I've always been a rebel of sorts, I feel like I like to do things against the norm. In a couple of weeks, my campus placement starts and I'll start working a full-time job as an audit associate with Deloitte in Kansas City."
