Tejaswin Shankar raises the bar at DeLoss Dodds Invitational, just misses out on high jump National Record

Tejaswin Shankar on Saturday registered a commanding performance at the DeLoss Dodds Invitational, clearing 2.26m to win the men’s high jump at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Bronze meet in the USA. His personal best mark is 2.29m, a national record (NR) set in April 2018 at the NCAA’s Texas Tech Corky/Crofoot Shootout.

The Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS)-supported athlete was in imperious touch in the competition, producing flawless first-attempt clearances all the way up to his winning height. The jump marked Shankar’s best performance in nearly three years and underlined a steady climb back to elite form.

Shankar came agonisingly close to pushing the bar higher, narrowly missing out on 2.30m, a height that would have rewritten the NR books.

Currently based in the US for a five-month training stint, Shankar is fine-tuning his preparation for the 2026 Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, where he is expected to be a key medal contender for India.

Shankar shifted his focus to the decathlon in early 2023 but never stopped competing in high jump, occasionally taking part in the event in certain competitions.

Published on Jan 31, 2026