Mandaviya hails Tejaswin Shankar's historic CWG Decathlon bronze
Synopsis
Tejaswin Shankar has won a bronze medal in the Men's Decathlon at CWG 2026, giving India its first-ever Commonwealth Games medal in the event. Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya praised the TOPS-supported athlete, calling it a historic moment for Indian athletics.
Key Takeaways
Tejaswin Shankar won bronze in the Men's Decathlon at CWG 2026 , India's first-ever Commonwealth Games medal in the event.
Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya publicly congratulated Shankar on 1 August 2026 via X.
Shankar is supported under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) , launched in 2014 to fund elite Indian athletes.
India has participated in the Commonwealth Games since 1934 ; the Decathlon podium had remained blank until this medal.
The result reflects India's broader push to build medal-winning depth in non-cricket, track-and-field disciplines.
India has never stood on the Commonwealth Games podium in the Decathlon — until now. Union Labour and Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Saturday, 1 August 2026 congratulated TOPS athlete Tejaswin Shankar for winning a bronze medal in the Men's Decathlon at CWG 2026, calling it a history-making moment for Indian athletics.
India's first Decathlon medal at the Commonwealth Games
The Decathlon — ten gruelling track-and-field disciplines compressed into two days — has long been one of sport's most demanding tests. For India, it had been a blank on the CWG medal board across decades of participation dating back to 1934. Shankar's bronze changes that record permanently.
Minister Mandaviya posted on X: 'History created in the Men's Decathlon! Congratulations to TOPS athlete Tejaswin Shankar for winning Bronze and securing India's first-ever CWG medal in the Decathlon. The entire country is proud of you.'
TOPS: the scheme behind the podium finish
Shankar's achievement carries a policy footnote that matters. He competes under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), launched in 2014 to identify high-potential Indian athletes and provide them with tailored funding, coaching, equipment, and international exposure. The logic was straightforward: stop leaving medal chances to chance, and invest early in athletes who can win.
TOPS has since become the backbone of India's elite-athlete pipeline, covering disciplines well beyond cricket and into the track, field, and court sports that fill multi-sport event medal tallies. Shankar's Decathlon bronze is the kind of result the scheme was designed to produce.
Athletics ambitions and what comes next
Successive Indian governments have steadily expanded sports funding and athlete support, aiming to convert participation at events like the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games into genuine podium presence. A first-ever Decathlon medal fits squarely into that broader arc — proof that investment in non-cricket disciplines is beginning to compound.
All eyes now turn to how India's athletics contingent performs across the remainder of CWG 2026, and whether Shankar's landmark result accelerates any review of TOPS selection criteria or funding levels for multi-event athletes.
India waited decades for this moment on the Decathlon podium. Tejaswin Shankar made sure the wait is over.
Point of View
Which bet on systematic investment in individual athletes across disciplines that India had historically treated as afterthoughts. For the Sports Ministry, a first-ever medal in a blue-riband multi-event discipline provides a concrete data point to justify continued or expanded funding. The timing also matters politically: with the Olympic cycle in view, a CWG podium in the Decathlon signals that India's athletics ambitions are no longer purely rhetorical.
NationPress
1 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Tejaswin Shankar?
Tejaswin Shankar is an Indian decathlete who competes under the government's Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), which provides elite athletes with funding, coaching, and international competition support.
What did Tejaswin Shankar win at CWG 2026?
Shankar won a bronze medal in the Men's Decathlon at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, becoming the first Indian athlete ever to win a CWG medal in the Decathlon.
What is the TOPS scheme in Indian sports?
The Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) was launched in 2014 to identify high-potential Indian athletes and provide them with tailored financial support, specialist coaching, equipment, and exposure to international competition.
Has India ever won a Commonwealth Games Decathlon medal before?
No. Tejaswin Shankar's bronze at CWG 2026 is India's first-ever Commonwealth Games medal in the Men's Decathlon. India has participated in the Commonwealth Games since 1934.
What did Sports Minister Mandaviya say about Tejaswin Shankar's medal?
Minister Mansukh Mandaviya posted on X that 'history has been created' and congratulated Shankar for 'securing India's first-ever CWG medal in the Decathlon,' adding that 'the entire country is proud of you.'
