Shankar’s early exit from high jump final
Tejaswin Shankar, representing India, concluded his participation in the men’s high jump final at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow on Monday. His campaign was cut short after he failed to clear the opening height and subsequently withdrew from the event. The incident at Scotstoun Stadium was preceded by initial confusion stemming from an error on the official results website.
The official results platform for the Commonwealth Games 2026 initially listed Tejaswin Shankar as DNS (Did Not Start) for the men’s high jump final. This entry initially suggested that India‘s representation in the final had been reduced from three athletes to two. However, live telecast visuals quickly clarified the situation, showing Shankar warming up and preparing to compete alongside his teammates, Sarvesh Kushare and J Aadarsh Ram. The DNS status was later identified as an administrative error on the official website.
Following the clarification of the website error, attention shifted to Shankar‘s performance. He began his final attempt at the opening height of 2.05 metres but was unable to clear the bar on his first try. After landing, the 27-year-old athlete appeared to be in discomfort. He decided to withdraw from the competition within minutes, bringing an abrupt end to his high jump campaign.
Impact and future prospects
No immediate official statement was released regarding the nature of Shankar‘s discomfort or the reason for his withdrawal. Organisers and the Indian contingent did not comment on whether this issue might affect his planned participation in the decathlon later in the Games. His early exit in the high jump final is considered a setback, especially given his previous achievements.
Shankar arrived in Glasgow as the defending bronze medallist in the high jump. At the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, he made history by becoming the first Indian to secure a medal in the men’s high jump at the event. This achievement had set high expectations for his performance in the current Games.
His form throughout 2026 had been notable, particularly in combined events. In February, he secured the Asian Indoor Championships heptathlon title, setting an Indian record with 5,993 points. Three months later, at the Federation Cup in Ranchi, he became the first Indian athlete to surpass the 8,000-point mark in the decathlon, achieving a national record of 8,057 points. These results had positioned him as one of India’s most versatile track-and-field athletes leading up to the Commonwealth Games.
Tejaswin Shankar, born on December 21, 1998, in Saket, New Delhi, initially harboured aspirations of becoming a fast bowler, coming from a family with a strong interest in cricket. His physical education teacher at Sardar Patel Vidyalaya encouraged him to engage in athletics to improve his speed and agility for cricket, marking a significant turning point in his life. He quickly discovered his talent for high jumping, excelling in school competitions before fully committing to athletics.
His journey was also shaped by personal challenges, including the loss of his father, Harishankar, to blood cancer in 2014. Despite this, he continued his athletic pursuits with the consistent support of his mother, Lakshmi, progressing steadily through the junior levels. His achievements in high jump earned him a four-year athletics scholarship to Kansas State University in the United States in 2017, where he studied accounting and finance while competing in the NCAA circuit.
In 2018, he established the Indian outdoor high jump record at 2.29m and the indoor national record at 2.28m. These accomplishments remain among the best performances by an Indian athlete in the discipline. Earlier in his career, he also won a gold medal at the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games.
The focus now remains on whether Shankar can recover in time for the multi-event competition. Meanwhile, India‘s medal tally continued to grow with other athletes. Gyaneshwari Yadav secured a silver medal in the women’s 53kg weightlifting event on Monday, and Bindyarani Devi added a bronze medal in the women’s 58kg category. These two podium finishes ensured that India‘s medal count progressed despite the high jump final’s developments.
Source: outlookindia.com
Arjun Sharma
Sports Reporter