India’s first-ever Commonwealth Games decathlon medallist, Tejaswin Shankar, has revealed the emotional turmoil he endured before winning bronze in Glasgow, admitting that there was a point during the competition when he “gave up” and questioned whether years of preparation had all been for nothing.
The medal became even more remarkable considering the circumstances leading up to it. Tejaswin injured his knee during the warm-up for the men’s high jump event. He initially pulled out, with the official Commonwealth Games roster showing a ‘DNS’ against his name, before making a late attempt to compete. However, after failing his opening jump, he withdrew again, casting serious doubt over his participation in the decathlon.
In a heartfelt social media post after the Games, Shankar reflected on one of the toughest weeks of his career, saying there were moments when everything he had worked for seemed to be slipping away.
“There are moments in life when you feel like everything you’ve worked for is slipping away. This week, I had one of those moments,” he wrote.
The 27-year-old admitted that, for a while, he lost belief in himself.
“I’m going to be honest and admit for a while, I gave up. I questioned everything. I wondered if all the preparation had been for nothing.”
However, with the help of Dr Wayne Lombard and his strength and conditioning team, Shankar recovered in time to line up for the decathlon the very next morning.
Despite being emotionally shattered, he refused to let those doubts define his campaign.
“But somewhere along the way, I picked myself back up piece by piece. I was shattered emotionally but kept lying to myself that I was fine. One conversation, one treatment session, one event, one lap at a time.”
His resilience showed on the track. Shankar surged to second place at the end of Day 1, courtesy of a commanding performance in his signature high jump event. He remained in gold-medal contention at the start of the final day before eventually securing bronze, scripting history as the first Indian to win a Commonwealth Games medal in the decathlon.
Looking back, the high jumper-turned-decathlete said the comeback would not have been possible without the people around him.
“Looking back, I realize I didn’t do it alone. To my coaches, medical team, teammates, family, friends, sponsors, and every single person who called, messaged, or reached out on social media… thank you. Your belief carried me when I was struggling very hard to believe in myself.”
The experience, he added, changed his perspective on what success in sport truly means.
“Sport has a funny way of testing you. Sometimes it isn’t about being the strongest or the most talented. Sometimes it’s simply about refusing to stay down.”
Shankar concluded by saying the bronze medal was not the ending he had imagined, but perhaps the one he needed.
“Proud to leave the Commonwealth Games with a bronze medal around my neck. It wasn’t the path I imagined, but it taught me more than an easy victory ever could.”
