Seeking to end a 49-year wait

When Tejaswin Shankar begins his quest for an Asian Games decathlon medal, he can draw inspiration from a legacy that is long lost

- Avishek Roy

Between the inaugural 1951 New Delhi Games and Tehran in 1974, India won six medals in decathlon, including two gold. The first gold in the 10-event discipline was won by legend Gurbachan Singh Randhawa at Jakarta in 1962. He had a hand in the second gold too, his trainee Vijay Singh Chauhan winning in Tehran.

There has been a drought since. In fact, the last two Games saw no Indian entry in decathlon though the athletics graph has risen. It is only now that Shankar's switch from high jump- he holds the national record-to the combined event has revived interest in it.

With every competition, Shankar has raised his level. He came within touching distance of breaking the national record (Bharatinder Singh, 7658 pts) in a meet in the US early this year (he logged 7648 points) but it is his Asian Championships bronze in July in a tough field that has raised hopes of a podium finish in Hangzhou.

Shankar is aware he is chasing a rare medal. "We haven't had a lot of decathletes competing at international level for quite some time. I know Randhawaji was adjudged the best athlete in Asian Games (1962 Jakarta). Even if I am able to uphold that legacy it would be a big deal for me. I am someone who is nerdy, likes to read about our greats. It's a matter of pride," said Shankar.