Tejaswin breaks the decathlon national record to win silver in the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Except when discussing the decathlon, which is arguably the most demanding athletic event, ten events over two days in competitive sports sounds ridiculous. Tejaswin Shankar, the only Indian to hold national records in two distinct field sports, broke the 12-year-old national record in the decathlon on October 3 on route to capturing silver at the Asian Games in Hangzhou.
The 24-year-old, who holds the national record in the high jump, battled cramps, dehydration, and weariness to finish with 7666 points, surpassing Bhartinder Singh’s previous record of 7658 points from 2011. China’s gold-medal winner Qihao Sun (7816 points) and Tejaswin had been battling it out for first place from the start. On October 2, Tejaswin had the lead after the 100-meter dash and long jump, but he lost it after the shot put. He then reclaimed it at the conclusion of the day with strong performances in the 400-meter dash and high jump.
