Shankar eyes Asian Games gold and prolonged career after Arjuna recognition
Tejaswin Shankar said in New Delhi on August 20, 2026 that he is targeting an Asian Games gold at the continental event six weeks away and is looking to extend his career after being named in line for the Arjuna Award; the 27-year-old also won bronze in the decathlon at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this year.
Shankar became the first Indian to win a Commonwealth Games medal in the men’s high jump when he cleared 2.22m for bronze in Birmingham in 2022, and four years later added another first by taking bronze in the decathlon in Glasgow. The decathlon bronze came after a knee problem in the individual high jump on July 31, 2026, but he returned two days later to complete the multi-event podium finish.
On his immediate form, Shankar outlined measurable progress in the decathlon this season and set clear targets. “Last year, at this time, I was around 7,800 points. This year, all three decathlons that I’ve done up until this point have been about 150-200 points better than my last year,” he told PTI. “So I’ve definitely progressed. I’m very happy with the progress that I’ve made in this one year. But we still have two years to kind of make those adjustments and try to find another 300-400 points so that we are competitive at the Olympic level.”
He warned the Asian Games field will be strong, noting recent performances this season, and referenced his own recent marks when assessing medal prospects. “Last year, I was able to get a silver medal at 7,666 points. But going by what the performances have been this year, I don’t even know if that will win a bronze medal or be on the podium at all,” Shankar said. “I’m aiming for nothing short of a personal best at the Asian Games. I want to go out there, give my best and try and land on the gold medal podium. That’s my goal.”
The knee issue at Glasgow has shaped his preparation for the continental event and highlighted specific areas to address in the short term. The setback, he said, showed where improvements were needed and prompted a focused recovery plan: “Now we know what can go wrong, so we’ll try and address that over these next six weeks, try and really bulletproof the knee so that I give myself the best chance.”
While Shankar has shifted his primary focus to the decathlon, he has not abandoned high jump ambitions and spoke directly about the national record held by Sarvesh Kushare. “Decathlon is the event that I’m primarily focused on and I want to do my best in this event. But high jump is a part of the decathlon. It’s one of the 10 events,” he said. “For Sarvesh (Kushare) to break the record, the real competitor in me wants to reclaim that. At some point, I will obviously try and reclaim that record.”
Shankar, who is in line for the Arjuna Award, described the recognition as an important milestone and set out longer-term aims beyond immediate medals. “To be able to land among some of the best athletes and sportspeople in our country and to receive it with them in front of the President of India, I think it’s a very big honour,” he said. “I feel like there are a lot of things that I still want to do in the sport. So I think this is a great beginning chapter. If I can be an athlete who’s competing at the age of 38 or somebody who’s representing India at the 2036 Olympics as a 40-year-old, I feel like that’ll be the biggest flex that I can ever have in my whole life,” he added. “I want to have a very long career and do everything in my power to increase the lifespan of my sporting career. So I think the goal is not the medal, but to stay consistent and stay fit for as long as I can. Because if that happens, then the medals follow.”
Shankar has confirmed he will not contest the individual high jump at the continental event and will concentrate solely on the decathlon at the Asian Games six weeks away.
