Decathlete Tejaswin Shankar had a stunning outing on Day 1 of the National Federation Cup 2026 in Ranchi. Chasing the 8000-point mark, something no Indian has done before, he finished with 4511 points after five events. By the end of Day 1, the national record holder in both high jump and decathlon had already registered three personal bests, proving why he is regarded as one of the best athletes India has ever produced.
The 26-year-old started with a personal best of 10.77 seconds in the 100m race before breaking another lifetime best of 7.67m in the long jump. He then recorded 13.31m in shot put, and then came the moment that stunned everyone. The 26-year-old jumped over 2.25m in the high jump while competing in a decathlon, a feat achieved by only six decathletes in history. He became just the second athlete in the 21st century to manage such a clearance during a combined events competition.
TEJASWIN SHANKAR HAD THE BEST JUMP OF 2.25M IN MEN’S HIGH JUMP! 🔥🔥🔥Massive one, Totally on the beast mode ⚡@TejaswinShankarpic.twitter.com/QnQHlJlG8u https://t.co/v1A8uB0hbs
— The Khel India (@TheKhelIndia) May 22, 2026
4.20m for Tejaswin in the pole vault. He was going for 4.30 but missed and landed awkwardly on the pit. 673 points takes him to 6751 points. He needs 936 points in his two events to qualify for the CWG and 1249 to get to 8000 points. pic.twitter.com/Xwa5x5r5DM
— jonathan selvaraj (@jon_selvaraj) May 23, 2026
For Tejaswin, it wasn’t new to break the 2.25m mark, having cleared the 2.25m or higher mark on 20 different occasions in his career in high jump. But to do that during a physically draining decathlon makes it a monumental feat. Meanwhile, Tejaswin wasn’t done for the day after setting staggering records. He returned for the final event of the day and delivered another personal best, clocking 48.29 seconds in the 400m to end a magnificent day.
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The 4511 points he earned on the day were the highest first-day decathlon score of his career, and it put him in an exclusive company. Before Tejaswin, only 45 decathletes had crossed the 4500 point mark after Day 1 of a decathlon.
Meanwhile, all eyes will be on Tejaswin on Day 2 as he will try to become the first Indian to cross the 8000 mark, something that was unimaginable for Indian athletes before.
