LUDHIANA
Indian hurdler Tejas Shirse delivered a landmark performance at the Indian Athletics Series 9. The twenty-four-year-old athlete clocked a stunning 13.27 seconds in the men’s 110m hurdles to set a brand-new national record and comfortably secure his qualification mark for the upcoming 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Shirse eclipsed his own previous national record of 13.41 seconds, which he set back in 2024. His brilliant effort easily surpassed the Athletics Federation of India’s strict Commonwealth Games entry standard of 13.39 seconds. Running in the B final, Shirse exploded out of the starting blocks and established an early lead. Despite accidentally clipping the final hurdle, he maintained his powerful momentum to cross the finish line safely ahead of the chasing pack.
This timing represents a massive leap from his gold medal performance of 13.50 seconds at last month’s Federation Cup in Ranchi. His new personal best now ranks him sixth on the highly competitive Asian continental list for the 2026 season. If officially selected by the federation, Shirse will become the first Indian male hurdler to compete at the Commonwealth Games since 2014.
Meanwhile, national record holder Mohammad Afsal P endured a disappointing day in the men’s 800m event. He clocked 1:47.00, falling short of the required qualification standard. In the javelin throw event, competitors like Rohit Yadav and Kishore Kumar Jena remained in tight contention for the national squad while stars Neeraj Chopra and Sachin Yadav sit out due to injuries.
