Tejaswin Shankar began his decathlon season with a remarkable performance at the 2026 David Noble Relays in San Angelo, Texas, securing a win with a new wind-assisted personal best score of 7947 points. Despite surpassing his previous national record set in Poland, his achievement will not be recognized as a record by World Athletics due to excessive tailwinds.
World Athletics rules, in place since 2010, stipulate that performances in combined events like the decathlon can only be considered for records if the average wind assistance during specific events remains at or below +2.0m/s. Unfortunately, Tejaswin’s performances in Texas were aided by wind speeds exceeding this limit.
Tejaswin’s exceptional showing at the 2026 David Noble Relays included personal bests in various events such as the 100m, long jump, shot put, and pole vault. His dominant performance earned him a clear victory, outscoring his competitors Emil Uhlin and Dorian Charles who secured second and third place, respectively.
This event marked Tejaswin’s first decathlon appearance of the 2026 season, following his participation in other athletic competitions earlier in the year. Notably, he also made history by setting a new national heptathlon record and winning India’s only gold medal at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Tianjin, China.
