Bhubaneshwar: National record holder decathlete Tejaswin Shankar will be considered for this year’s Asian Games despite not competing in the National Inter-State Senior Championships which begins here on Wednesday as he has been granted exemption from the meet, a top official of the national federation said on Tuesday.
Tejaswin, who rewrote his own national record during the Federation Cup in Ranchi last month, has been named in the 32-member Indian team for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow (July 23 to August 2). He has sought exemption from the National Inter-State Senior Championships and the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) granted him exemption.
“Yes, he has sought exemption from the National Inter-State in writing, and we have granted it. He will be considered for the Asian Games,” AFI Planning Commission chairman Lait Bhanot told PTI ahead of the championships here.
Tejaswin has firmly established himself among the top multi-event athletes in Asia. His recent accolades and records include:
He crossed the elusive 8,000-point mark and holds the current National Record for Decathlon in India.
He captured the gold medal at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships with a national indoor record of 5,993 points.
While several other athletes are fighting for Asian Games slots at the Inter-State meet, established stars have routinely had their stellar earlier performances evaluated for AFI selection consideration, allowing Tejaswin to skip the current domestic event.
