Tejaswin Shankar, our new young talent hoisted India's flag in America

Indian high jumper Tejaswin Shankar overcame a stiff challenge from former world champion and Commonwealth Games gold medalist Donald Thomas to claim gold medal at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix.

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Delhi-born Tejaswin, 24, won the first position with a jump of 2.26 meters. While 2007 World Championship and 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medalist Thomas (38 years) of Bahamas finished second with a jump of 2.23m. Shankar, a 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, managed jumps of 2.14, 2.19, 2.23, and 2.26m in his first four attempts. His personal best outdoor jump is 2.29m which is a national record while his indoor best jump is 2.28m.

In 2019, Tejaswin Shankar made his mark on the international stage, as he won a bronze medal at the Asian Athletics Championships. This was a major milestone in his career and established him as one of the top high jumpers in Asia. In 2020, Tejaswin continued to impress again. He set a new national record in the high jump. He also secured a place in the Indian Olympic team for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Unfortunately, the 2020 Summer Olympics were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But Tejaswin remained focused and continued to train hard.

Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Tejaswin Shankar continued to make progress. He set new personal bests and secured a silver medal at the 2021 Asian Athletics Championships. He is now considered one of the top high jumpers in Asia and is poised for even greater success in the future.

Moreover, Tejaswin Shankar was not initially a member of the Indian contingent in the Commonwealth Games 2022. After this, he approached the Delhi High Court. Tejaswin Shankar got a place for the Commonwealth Games after the court's direction. Although he could not participate in the opening ceremony. However, he won the bronze medal in the Commonwealth Games.

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Meanwhile, Darryl Sullivan of America finished third among the four players with a season's best jump of 2.19m. Sharing the video of his gold medal on social media, Shankar tweeted, 'Great start to the new year. Excited to compete with a top athlete in our season opener.