BIRMINGHAM: After winning a historic bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, high jumper Tejaswin Shankar spoke exclusively to TOI, revealing his future plans and the importance of the medal he won here. Excerpts…
How will your rate this performance? This is your first medal in a marquee event…
It’s at the very top, especially considering the backstory. It is just a bronze medal, but every medal has a story behind it. There is blood, sweat and tears behind the medal. The story gives the medal value. Otherwise, it’s just a piece of metal. I always wanted to go to the CWG and win a medal for the country. For me, the last month, month and a half… what I have undergone, it’s definitely No. 1 for me.
Your best is 2.29m. Do you think that mark was achievable here?
The other competitors were having a season best of 2.30m, one was 2.36m. So in these events it all comes down to that day. Now, if you tell Neeraj Chopra to throw javelin to 90m every day, it’s not possible for him. Depends on what the situation is. Sometimes you have to adjust to the weather conditions. Anything can happen. At this stage, every athlete is more or less at the same level. The athlete who is emotionally and mentally ready on that given day is able to perform at his peak.
Tell us about the atmosphere at the Alexander Stadium…
I wasn’t expecting this, but the British crowd was very knowledgeable. The best thing was that they were supporting everyone equally. They were cheering for everybody, especially us jumpers, who like that rhythmic clap going. That was happening. The crowd was fully engaged. When we were taking the victory lap, there were many young British kids who wanted to shake hands, get an autograph, take a selfie.
What was your routine before the competition?
We don’t do anything extra from other days. We want to keep it as regular, as normal as possible. An athlete always wants to avoid uncertainties, wants to keep things under his control in order to give his best performances. That’s the mindset. At times, many also keep superstitions, it’s also for this reason. The nature of sport is so unpredictable, but we like predictability. I woke up at 10 in the morning, had my coffee, had my breakfast, then watched a movie on Netflix, nothing to do with high jump. Because I knew my evening was there for high jump. I just thought ‘whatever was going to happen, will happen’. I was very relaxed, ready to go.
You were talking about participating in the decathlon event at the Asian Games next year…
That’s an event I definitely want to dabble in. That doesn’t mean my high jump is going to be over, because high jump is an event in the decathlon. I have to do well in high jump to improve my decathlon score. But I feel like I want to do all the 10 events and compete at the Asian level, where I feel I will be very competitive. Gradually I can be competitive at the world level. I like multi-events. I mean, covering the entire gamut of track and field, that’s very enjoyable according to me.
Will you participate in both high jump and decathlon at the Asian Games then?
Definitely, I need to qualify in both first. I was already qualified had the Asian Games been conducted this year. I was over by 150 points. Next year, I will try to qualify by an even bigger margin. Maybe, scoring in that medal bracket range. There are three events I am weak in – javelin throw, discus throw and pole vault – but with repetition and time I am sure I will be able to ace it.
What’s the reaction from Athletics Federation of India now?
Well, they have been congratulating me. I have got praises and best wishes from them after the medal. Whatever happened in India is now past. Once I boarded that plane and landed in Birmingham, I felt I was part of the team. Everyone was quite helpful at the Games village, whether they were official, coach or athlete. The wished me luck and wanted me to do well.
Did chief athletics coach Radhakrishnan Nair say anything?
He was the first one to come to me and gave me a lot of encouragement. He was very excited when I won the medal. Ultimately, all that an athlete needs is support. The people in power should appreciate our efforts.
