- By Samannay Sen
- Tue, 28 Jul 2026 11:47 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
- The injury ended Shankar's campaign before it could truly begin.
- Shankar admitted the timing of the injury was particularly painful as he had arrived in Glasgow in excellent form.
- Despite the disappointment, Shankar remains optimistic about returning for the decathlon competition.
India's medal hopes in the men's high jump at the Commonwealth Games 2026 suffered a major setback after national record holder Tejaswin Shankar was forced to withdraw from the final due to a knee injury in Glasgow.
The Asian Games decathlon silver medallist failed to clear the opening height after aggravating a long-standing patellar tendon issue during his warm-up.
The injury ended Shankar's campaign before it could truly begin, denying him the opportunity to defend his Commonwealth Games medal and compete for another podium finish.
Injury Before Competition
Speaking after the event, the 26-year-old revealed that the pain began during the warm-up and was severe enough to derail his performance.
"I felt a shooting pain in my knee. It happened during my warm-up. It's nothing new; I have always had tendonitis in my knees," Tejaswin said.
He explained that the condition, commonly known as "jumper's knee," is a familiar challenge for elite high jumpers.
"I don't think there is any high jumper who doesn't have it. That's why it's called jumper's knee. Everyone manages it, and so do I."
Medal Dream Ends in Heartbreak
Shankar admitted the timing of the injury was particularly painful as he had arrived in Glasgow in excellent form and believed he had a genuine chance of winning another Commonwealth Games medal.
"But it's one of those days. You want just one day in a year when you don't have that pain, but it came on that day only. It really stings."
He added that the conditions suited him perfectly and he was confident of challenging for the title.
"In these conditions, I was really confident I could jump for a win, jump for a medal. I really knew I could win a medal. But to not even get through the first height, it stings because I was in really great shape."
Explaining the nature of the injury, he said: "It's just overuse of the patellar tendon. There is nothing spectacular about it. It just flared up today and ruined my entire competition."
Focus Shifts to Decathlon
Despite the disappointment, Shankar remains optimistic about returning for the decathlon competition, which begins on Thursday.
"I will come back in two days. We still have two days. I'll do my best over the next two days to fix this. I will obviously start. I'm not here on vacation."
The Indian all-rounder acknowledged that the tendon is heavily involved in both the high jump and long jump but believes he can still complete the demanding 10-event discipline.
"The patellar tendon is used in high jump and long jump, so if I'm somehow able to get by those two events, I'm still confident the other events will be fine. I am confident I will be able to fix this."
While his withdrawal from the high jump is a major blow for India's athletics team, all eyes will now be on whether Tejaswin Shankar can recover in time to challenge for a medal in the decathlon later this week.