Tejaswin Shankar won bronze in the men's decathlon at the 2026 Asian Games with 7,934 points
He secured back-to-back medals following his silver at Hangzhou, finishing behind Japan's Maruyama and China's Chen in Nagoya
The versatile athlete continues his historic run, adding another major continental accolade to his career
Ten events, two gruelling days, and one hard-earned Asian Games medal — Tejaswin Shankar has done it again. India's decathlon ace finished third in the Men's Decathlon at Asian Games 2026 with a total of 7,934 points, saving his best for last by winning the concluding 1500m in 4:33.09 to seal the podium finish.
His two-day effort read: 100m (10.98), Long Jump (7.53m), Shot Put (13.16m), High Jump (2.18m), 400m (48.59), 110m Hurdles (14.33), Discus (36.77m), Pole Vault (4.30m), Javelin (53.37m) and that decisive closing 1500m. Japan's Maruyama took gold with 8,123 points, China's Chen claimed silver on 8,012, with Tejaswin completing the podium.
"TJ" is no stranger to turning himself inside out across ten events for India. The Delhi-born, Kansas State-educated athlete first made his name as a pure high jumper, setting the national record of 2.29m in 2018 and becoming India's first-ever Commonwealth Games high jump medallist with bronze at Birmingham 2022.
He has since transformed himself into one of the country's most complete athletes, becoming India's first decathlete to cross the 8,000-point mark, reigning Asian champion in both the decathlon and heptathlon, and a historic Commonwealth Games decathlon bronze medallist at Glasgow 2026 — the first Indian ever to win Games medals in two different athletics disciplines. This latest bronze extends that remarkable run of consistency on the continental and Commonwealth stage.
For Tejaswin, this Asian Games bronze completes a full-circle moment — from decathlon silver at Hangzhou 2023 to bronze at Nagoya 2026, he has now won back-to-back Asian Games medals in the sport's most demanding event. It's a fitting reward for an athlete who has repeatedly pushed through fitness scares and grueling schedules to deliver when it matters most, further cementing his reputation as one of Indian athletics' most versatile and resilient performers.
