Tejaswin beats world champion to win gold in high jump
Indian high jumper Tejaswin Shankar overcame a stiff challenge from former world champion and Commonwealth Games gold medalist Donald Thomas to claim the top spot at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix here. Delhi-born Tejaswin, 24, won the first position with a jump of 2.26 metres. While 2007 World Championship and 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medalist Thomas (38) of Bahamas finished second with a jump of 2.23m. Shankar, the Birmingham Commonwealth 2022 bronze medallist, cleared 2.14, 2.19, 2.23 and 2.26m in his first four attempts.
His personal best outdoor jump is 2.29m which is a national record while his indoor best jump is 2.28m. Daryl Sullivan of America finished third among the four players with a season’s best jump of 2.19m. Sharing the video of his gold medal on social media, Shankar tweeted, “Wonderful start to the new year. Excited to compete against a top athlete in our season opener.