Tejaswin Shankar wins decathlon bronze at 2026 Asian Games, first Indian to claim two medals in event
Synopsis
Tejaswin Shankar couldn't defend his Hangzhou silver, but the bronze he secured in Nagoya made history — he is now the first Indian man to win two Asian Games medals in the decathlon. He led the standings heading into the discus throw, but the pole vault and javelin, never his strongest events, cost him the podium's second step.
Key Takeaways
Tejaswin Shankar won bronze in the decathlon at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on 27 September 2026 with 7,934 points .
He is now the first Indian man to win two medals in the decathlon at the Asian Games.
Yuma Maruyama (Japan) took gold with 8,123 points ; Chen Xinghua (China) claimed silver with 8,012 points .
Shankar led the overall standings with 5,270 points before the discus throw, but athletes from China and Japan overtook him.
Manju Rani placed sixth in the women's marathon race walk; Priyanka Goswami was disqualified at 9 km .
All four Indian surfers — Sivaraj Babu , Kishore Kumar , Sugar Shanti Gayen , and Kamali Prakash — advanced to the third round of shortboard events.
Tejaswin Shankar secured a historic bronze medal in the decathlon at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Sunday, 27 September 2026, becoming the first Indian man to win two medals in the decathlon at the continental showpiece. Although he could not defend the silver he claimed at the Hangzhou Asian Games, Shankar's latest podium finish cements his place in Indian athletics history.
Final Standings
Shankar finished third with a total score of 7,934 points. Yuma Maruyama of Japan claimed gold with 8,123 points, while Chen Xinghua of China took silver with 8,012 points. The gap between Shankar and the podium's top two underlined the fierce competition across the two-day event.
How the Competition Unfolded
Shankar was remarkably competitive through the first phase of the decathlon. Heading into the discus throw, he led the overall standings with 5,270 points, having earned 932 points by finishing third in the 110m hurdles heat with a time of 14.33 seconds. His best discus throw measured 36.77 metres — roughly four metres below his personal best — and although he finished third in that event, athletes from China and Japan overtook him in the aggregate standings, pushing his total to 5,869 points at the midway stage.
The closing stretch of the decathlon — featuring the pole vault and the javelin throw — worked against Shankar. Neither discipline is among his stronger events, limiting his ability to claw back ground and reclaim the silver medal position.
Other Indian Athletics Results
In women's marathon race walk, Manju Rani finished sixth with a time of 3:40:17, while Priyanka Goswami was disqualified at the 9 km mark.
India's Surfers Shine in Shortboard Events
India delivered a strong showing in surfing at the same Games. Sivaraj Babu advanced to the third round of the men's shortboard competition by defeating Iran's Davoud Khadir with a score of 8.96, posting waves of 4.83 and 4.13. He will join fellow Indian Kishore Kumar in the next round. On the women's side, Sugar Shanti Gayen defeated Chinese Taipei's Chen Wan-yu by 7.33–5.40, and Kamali Prakash overcame Singapore's Camille Marie Spaccarotella by 7.57–4.50. All four Indian surfers competing in the men's and women's shortboard events have advanced to the third round.
With the Games ongoing, India's athletics and surfing contingents continue to keep the tricolour in contention across disciplines.
Point of View
Across two Asian Games cycles. What the result also reveals is a structural gap: Shankar's relative weakness in the pole vault and javelin continues to cost him on the aggregate leaderboard, and closing that gap could be the difference between bronze and gold at the next edition. For Indian athletics, the broader takeaway is encouraging — a decathlete capable of back-to-back podium finishes is a rare asset. The question for coaches and federation officials is whether they invest in event-specific training to help Shankar become a genuine gold contender in 2030.
NationPress
27 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Tejaswin Shankar achieve at the 2026 Asian Games?
Tejaswin Shankar won a bronze medal in the decathlon at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with a total of 7,934 points. This made him the first Indian man to win two medals in the decathlon at the Asian Games, having previously claimed silver at the 2023 Hangzhou edition.
Who won gold in the decathlon at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games?
Yuma Maruyama of Japan won gold with 8,123 points. Chen Xinghua of China took silver with 8,012 points, and Tejaswin Shankar of India claimed bronze with 7,934 points.
Why could Tejaswin Shankar not win silver again?
Shankar led the standings heading into the discus throw but his throw of 36.77 metres — about four metres below his personal best — allowed athletes from China and Japan to overtake him. The closing events of pole vault and javelin, which are not among his strongest disciplines, made a comeback difficult.
How did Indian surfers perform at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games?
All four Indian surfers in the shortboard events advanced to the third round. Sivaraj Babu beat Iran's Davoud Khadir with a score of 8.96, while Sugar Shanti Gayen and Kamali Prakash won their respective women's bouts. Kishore Kumar also reached the third round in the men's event.
What happened to Priyanka Goswami at the 2026 Asian Games?
Priyanka Goswami was disqualified from the women's marathon race walk at the 9 km mark. Manju Rani completed the race, finishing sixth with a time of 3:40:17.
