Shankar's Stellar Start: Tejaswin Triumphs in Texas Decathlon

India's Tejaswin Shankar secured victory with a wind-assisted personal best of 7947 points at the David Noble Relays 2026 in Texas. Despite the impressive feat exceeding his national record, it was not ratified due to World Athletics' wind assistance limits. This marks his winning start to the decathlon season.

Tejaswin Shankar, India's promising athlete, opened his decathlon season on a high note by clinching victory at the David Noble Relays 2026 in Texas, USA. Shankar achieved a wind-assisted personal best of 7947 points, although just shy of the coveted 8000 mark, highlighting his impressive prowess in the sport.

Despite surpassing his own national record of 7826 points, set in Poland last year, Shankar's remarkable performance at the Texas meet wasn't officially recognized as a new record. The excess tailwind assistance exceeded the World Athletics' permissible average limit of +2.0 m/s, affecting the legitimacy of the record attempt.

Shankar's triumph follows his successful stint in indoor events, notably winning a gold in heptathlon at the 2026 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships. The Texas meet also saw him achieve personal bests in several events, fortifying his stature as a dominant competitor in athletics.

(With inputs from agencies.)