A rollercoaster of emotions: Tejaswin finds silver in South Korea

Tejaswin Shankar endured a "rollercoaster of emotions" as he became the first Indian to win two decathlon medals at the Asian Athletics Championship, and has no regrets at missing out on a gold since he was able to deliver a podium finish for the country. The national record holder in decathlon on Wednesday won a silver with a score of 7618 points in Gumi, South Korea. He had won a bronze in the 2023 edition.

"The difference between gold and silver is 16.3 seconds, and that’s the same difference between silver and bronze. So in championships, I think it’s more about trying to win a medal. It’s definitely less about what could have been done, should have been done," he told reporters.

Three Indians -- Vijay Singh Chauhan (1973), Suresh Babu (1975), and Sabil Ali (1981) -- have so far won gold in the decathlon in the continental championships. Tejaswin, mostly based in the US, delivered two personal bests in the 10-event marathon—13.79m in shot put and 14.58 seconds in the 110m hurdles.

"The first two events after day one, I was really in a hole. I was really struggling. And then my first two throws were also really bad in the shot put. But then somehow I was able to summon up all the courage that I had in the third throw," he recalled.

"I just went for it and luckily, you know, went past the line and I got a personal best. That made a big deal for me... and then things just turned." The turning point came not just from a throw but from a moment of sportsmanship and grit he witnessed during warm-ups.

"Yuma (Maruyama), who was challenging for the gold, fell while warming up for the hurdles. He seriously injured his neck. And in spite of that, the Japanese guy continued through the events… That gave me some sort of motivation," he said.

If he can do it with that injury, then I can at least challenge for a gold medal." And he did -- pushing through his weaker events on Day 2 with a renewed sense of purpose. Competing in a decathlon isn’t just about physical limits but also about navigating the mental minefield, especially in an era of social media, where the pressure to perform is magnified with every scroll.

"It’s a rollercoaster of emotions... in most competitions, I'm leading after day one. And I'm also human. So, I go home and I check my social media. And I see everybody is going for gold, this and that," Tejaswin said.

But then, you know, I have to pull myself back. And I'm like, okay, I still have the pole vault and javelin remaining the next day. So, those are some events that are a work in progress. I try not to get too carried away by looking at those posts." In many ways, the decathlon tests not just ability but emotional discipline. After you do 10 events over two days, once you finish, you're like, you know what, I couldn't have done anything, and I'm glad that it's over. So, that's how I'm feeling now," he said.

And yes, I mean, it's a rollercoaster of emotions. And in two days, you just have to make sure that, you know, the emotions don't get ahead of you. And if you're the person who's able to do that, it's usually amongst the best." 

India's 4x400m mixed relay team comprising Rupal Chaudhary, Santhosh Kumar, Vishal TK, and Subha Venkatesan produced a timing of 3:18.12 sec to defend its gold, and former president and current AFI spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla said the performance shows that India has enough talent.

"It's not a fully rearranged team. Rupal and Subha were there in the last team. Santosh was there in the reserve. So it is a mix of new and old. See, we need to look at the future, we need to let go of the past and move on," said Sumariwalla, who is the Vice President of World Athletics. This team has shown we have a good reserve pool, we can perform given a chance."