Tejaswin, Siddharth in limelight as women javelin throwers falter

PATIALA: “I always want to win. The desire to excel enables me to scale new heights,” said Tejaswin Shankar, the newlycrowned champion in men’s high jump. On Wednesday, he cleared 2.28 metres, improving his own national record of 2.26 and bettering the Commonwealth Games qualification mark of 2.25m.

On the penultimate day of the Federation Cup meet, where the women javelin throwers dished out mediocre performances, the focus shifted to the high jump pit where Shankar and Siddharth Yadav battled for glory.

And both athletes achieved the CWG qualification mark, with Shankar winning gold and Yadav claiming silver (2.25 metres).

What is interesting is that Shankar wanted to be a pace bowler, while Yadav was passionate about playing football. The duo entered athletics by chance and are set to represent India in their first major international competition at Gold Coast.

The diverse background of the duo is also interesting. Shankar, is on a four-year scholarship at the University of Kansas and has the backing of the NCAA in USA.

His aim is to break into the 2:30 metre club and compete in the Diamond League this summer. “That’s my aim. That’s where I want to see myself in future. But I don’t want to rush, and want to take one step at a time,’’ he said.

On missing the 2:30m mark on Wednesday, he said, “I could have touched the mark but got excited . I have a long, hard season, which includes the CWG and the Asian Games. Hope to achieve it this year,” he said,

Yadav, on the other hand, is looking at improving his basic skills. “I am looking for a high jump coach to improve my technique.” He is currently training under former long jumper Sanjay Kumar Rai. “If I wasn’t able to do better than 2.25 today, it has got to do with the lack of good coaches here,” he said..