Tejaswin Shankar

Tejaswin Shankar (born 21 December 1998) is an Indian decathlete. He is the first Indian to win Commonwealth Games medals in high jump and decathlon, claiming bronze in 2022 and 2026, respectively. Shankar has also won silver medals in decathlon at the 2022 Asian Games and the 2025 Asian Championships. He was the NCAA champion in high jump in 2018 and 2022, making him one of the most successful Indian athletes in collegiate circuit.

Early life Shankar was born on 21 December 1998 in Saket in South Delhi. He studied at the Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, where he played cricket until seventh grade before his physical education teacher suggested he switch to high jump. His father Harishankar, a lawyer for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), died of blood cancer in 2014. He won the gold medal at the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games in Apia, setting a Games record of 2.14 m.

At the 2016 South Asian Games in Guwahati, he won the silver medal with a leap of 2.17 m. At the 2016 Asian Indoor Championships in Doha, he failed to clear the opening height of 2 m and did not record a valid mark. Due to a groin injury, he finished sixth at the 2016 Asian Junior Championships in Ho Chi Minh City with a jump of 2.07 m, and missed the 2016 World U20 Championships. At the age of 17, Shankar rose to prominence when he broke Hari Shankar Roy's 12-year-old national record of 2.25 m, with a jump of 2.26 m at the 2016 Junior National Championships in Coimbatore. He was the third best junior high jumper in the world that year. He was bedridden for six months in 2017 with a slipped disc.

Shankar broke Roy's indoor national record of 2.18 m, with a 2.28 m leap at the 2018 Big 12 Indoor Championships in Ames. He placed sixth at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, with a jump of 2.24 m.

Shankar, who was not initially selected in the 2022 Commonwealth Games contingent despite meeting the qualification standard, took the Indian Athletics to court and was later brought in as a replacement. He won the bronze medal at the event in Birmingham with a jump of 2.22 m, this was India's first ever high jump medal at the Commonwealth Games.

At the 2023 Asian Championships in Bangkok, he finished seventh in the high jump with a best effort of 2.10 m and won the bronze medal in the decathlon with 7527 points. He placed sixth in the high jump at the World University Games in Chengdu, clearing 2.15 m. Later that year, he won the silver medal in the decathlon at the Asian Games in Hangzhou with a score of 7666 points.

Shankar won the silver medal in the decathlon at the 2025 Asian Championships held in Gumi with a score of 7618 points.

At the 2026 Asian Indoor Championships in Tianjin, Shankar won gold in the heptathlon with a national indoor record score of 5993 points. At the 2026 National Federation Cup in Ranchi, he became the first Indian decathlete to breach the 8000-point barrier, winning the gold medal with a score of 8057 points. At the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, he withdrew from the high jump after his opening attempt due to a flared up patellar tendinitis. Despite the injury, he competed in the decathlon two days later and scored 7976 points to win the bronze medal, becoming the first Indian to win a Commonwealth Games medal in the event.

International competitions

NCAA Championships

Personal bests Information from World Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.

Outdoor

Event Performance Location Date Points Decathlon Ranchi, India 22–23 May 2026 8057 points 100 metres 10.77 (+0.7 m/s) Ranchi, India 22 May 2026 912 points Long jump 7.82m (+1.5 m/s) Glasgow, Scotland 30 July 2026 1015 points Shot put San Angelo, U.S. 26 March 2026 727 points High jump Ranchi, India 22 May 2026 1041 points 400 metres 48.29 895 points 110 metres hurdles 14.23 (+0.2 m/s) 23 May 2026 945 points Discus throw Glasgow, Scotland 31 July 2026 674 points Pole vault San Angelo, U.S. 27 March 2026 716 points Javelin throw Kochi, India 21 April 2025 661 points 1500 metres 4:29.02 Ranchi, India 23 May 2026 751 points Virtual Best Performance8337 points

Event Performance Location Date High jump Lubbock, U.S. 27 April 2018

Indoor

Event Performance Location Date Points Heptathlon Tianjin, China 7–8 February 2026 5993 points 60 metres 7.11 Tianjin, China 7 February 2026 844 points Long jump 942 points Shot put 706 points High jump Manhattan, U.S. 29 January 2021 1041 points 60 metres hurdles 8.02 Tianjin, China 8 February 2026 977 points Pole vault 673 points 1000 metres 2:41.22 Manhattan, U.S. 30 January 2021 860 points Virtual Best Performance 6043 points

Event Performance Location Date High jump Ames, U.S. 24 February 2018

Personal life Shankar received a four-year athletics scholarship to Kansas State University in 2017, where he pursued bachelor's and master's degrees in accounting. He briefly worked at Deloitte in the U.S. before leaving the corporate sector to pursue athletics full-time.

He married former Indian sprinter Siddhi Hiray in a private ceremony in 2024. The couple co-founded King's Sports Group, an initiative aimed at helping talented student-athletes to secure sports scholarships in the U.S. collegiate system.

In 2026, Shankar returned to Kansas State University to pursue a master's degree in kinesiology. He made the transition to better prepare for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics in the U.S. His education is funded through his role as a graduate teaching assistant in the university's kinesiology department, where he teaches biomechanics and introduction to kinesiology.

Awards Arjuna Award, 2025