Meet Tejaswin Shankar, the Indian high jumper-turned-decathlete who won Asian Games 2026 bronzeHere’s everything you need to know.
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Tejaswin Shankar competes in the men’s decathlon at Asian Games 2026(Photo: IANS)
Tejaswin Shankar added another medal to his growing athletics career after winning bronze in the men’s decathlon at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 on Sunday.
The Indian finished third with 7,934 points, behind Japan’s Yuma Maruyama, who won gold with 8,123 points, and China’s Chen Xinghua, who took silver with 8,012 points.
The result also gave Tejaswin a second straight Asian Games medal in the decathlon after his silver at the Hangzhou GamesHe became the first Indian man to win two medals in the event at the Asian Games.
— Abhi (@Abhi72763798418) September 27, 2026
Who is Tejaswin Shankar?
Born on December 21, 1998, in New Delhi, Tejaswin Shankar initially made his name as a high jumper before moving into the decathlon.
He set the Indian high jump record of 2.29m in 2018 while competing in the United StatesHe later studied at Kansas State University, where he won NCAA Division I titles in high jump.
His biggest high jump achievement came at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where he won bronzeHe became the first Indian male high jumper to win a Commonwealth Games medal in the event.
Tejaswin’s move from high jump to decathlon
Slowly Tejaswin started to focus more on combined eventsHe took up the gruelling decathlon which involves 10 different track and field events.
The move brought quick resultsHe won silver in the decathlon at the 2022 Asian Games and followed it with bronze at the 2023 Asian Athletics ChampionshipsHe then won silver at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships.
In 2026, Tejaswin produced the biggest score of his decathlon careerHe became the first Indian decathlete to cross 8,000 points after scoring 8,057 at the National Senior Athletics Federation Competition in RanchiThat remains the Indian national record.
He also won gold in the heptathlon at the 2026 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships and set a national record of 5,993 points.
Tejaswin battles till the end for Asian Games bronze
Tejaswin stayed in medal contention deep into the competition in NagoyaHe was even at the top of the standings before the discus throw.
His 36.77m effort in discus saw athletes from China and Japan move aheadThe pole vault and javelin were also challenging stages for the Indian, but he continued to fight for a podium finish.
He eventually sealed bronze after the final events and finished with 7,934 points.
Manju Rani, Indian surfers also impress
In other Indian results, Manju Rani finished sixth in the women’s marathon race walk in 3:40:17, while Priyanka Goswami was disqualified at the 9km mark.
India also made progress in surfingSivaraj Babu defeated Iran’s Davoud Khadir with a score of 8.96 to reach the third round of the men’s shortboard event.
Sugar Shanti Gayen and Kamali Prakash also advanced to the third round in their respective women’s shortboard contestsKishore Kumar joined Sivaraj in the next round, giving India four surfers in the third round.
