CWG 2022: from negligence to a court battle to a historic medal, the 'Tejaswin Shankar' story

You know the man but not his struggle

Tejaswin Shankar opened India's account in track and field at Commonwealth Games 2022 with a historic bronze with his best jump of 2.22m and became the first Indian to win a high jump medal at the Games.

However, the road to Birmingham was no less than a roller coaster for Tejaswin as the 23-year-old was not even picked initially in the Indian athletics squad. He failed to compete in an inter-state meet in Chennai, which clashed with his NCAA championships in the United States. Despite achieving the 2.27m automatic qualifying mark for the CWG, Tejaswin was not considered for selection by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).

The athlete then resorted to legal way and filed a petition in the Delhi High Court for his inclusion in the Indian contingent. The AFI and the Indian Olympic Association were then ordered to add Tejaswin to the Indian squad for Birmingham 2022.

His struggle though didn't end there as the Commonwealth Games Federation didn't accept Tejaswin's entry. However, when 2 members of the Indian squad failed to clear their dope tests, the CWG federation gave Tejaswin a green signal. He finally punched his ticket to Birmingham, which proved to be a historic one.

Also read: CWG: India’s Tejaswin Shankar wins India’s first track & field medal in Birmingham