Tejaswin Shankar “pissed off” after winning bronze at the Asian Games despite leading the decathlon
Tejaswin Shankar ended his decathlon at the Asian Games with a bronze medal, but he was not satisfied. After leading the competition at the end of the opening day, the Indian fell down the rankings and felt he had let a better medal slip away.
Shankar finished third with 7,934 pointsbehind the Japanese Yuma Maruyama and the Chinese Chen Xinghua. It was his second consecutive Asian Games medal after silver in Hangzhou, but the 27-year-old was already thinking about what could have happened.
Asian Games 2026, September 28: UPDATE
“I’m just upset at the moment. I’m so disappointed with the bronze medal. I just lost the silver. I’m quite upset. It’s a lost opportunity for gold, a lost opportunity for silver. So I’ll settle for a bronze medal here,” Shankar told Sportsstar.
That frustration stemmed from the way the contest began. Shankar won the long and high jump on the first day and started the second day on top with 4,338 points, giving him a real chance to improve on his previous Asian Games silver.
WHY DOES BRONZE HURT SO MUCH?
By the time the decathlon reached 1500m, gold was out of reach and silver was hard to chase. However, Shankar still found something to race for. He stayed with Maruyama before getting past the Japanese athlete to win the final event in 4:33.09.
“At that point it wasn’t about the medals, it was about Yuma beating me in the last 1km at the Asian Indoor Championships,” he said. “So I created this little competition in my head. During the 1500, when he was in front, that’s what was going on in my head. I have to catch him and finally wahi paani usko pilaunga.”
The 1500m win could not change the overall podium, but it did give Shankar one moment of satisfaction in a competition he felt had slipped away.
He was also unwilling to blame Nagoya’s difficult conditions for his performance.
“I think my performance was pretty bad. It’s really bad. I can’t even think of things to justify that performance other than halfway through the second day I thought I was just going to be done racing for this year. That’s the truth,” he said.
The mental demands were just as significant as the physical.
“The reality is that the decathlon is such a physical event, but it’s also very, very mental,” Shankar said.
CAN TEJASWIN TURN FRUSTRATION INTO PROGRESS?
However, Shankar’s season paints a more encouraging picture. He competed in four decathlons this year, a workload he now feels needs to be handled better, but each of those events yielded more than 7,900 points.
“I’ve been riding since January 30 and I didn’t blame anyone, I had to do it. I needed to get the performance, I needed to get the exercise, so I did four this year,” he said.
“I have to find another 300 points and try to add all the good things I have done during the year in one meeting and there is your total score of 8300 points,” Shankar added.
For now, rest comes first. He has also been dealing with a knee problem since the Commonwealth Games and wants to use the off-season to properly address it.
“The whole aim was to try to fix the knee because that’s what bothered me at the Commonwealth Games,” he said. “Now that I’m out of the season starting this second, I think we’re going to have a lot of time to fix this and come back stronger next year.”
The workload will also need to be reassessed if Shankar is to push for the World Cup and Olympics.
“I can’t do five decathlons in a year and then expect 8,400 points at the end of it and qualify for the Olympics,” he said. “I had no choice this year. It was just me and my greed to do more. And I think it paid off.”
For all his frustration, Shankar did not fall in love with the sport.
“I hate myself for not winning silver, but I hate the sport. I absolutely love the sport,” he said.
Bronze may not have been what he wanted, but Shankar leaves Nagoya knowing exactly what he needs next. More recovery, better management and above all a chance to combine all the good parts of your season in one decathlon.
– The end