Neeraj Chopra congratulates CWG 2022 bronze medalist Tejaswin Shankar on his historic feat

Indian high jumper Tejaswin Shankar clinched a historic Commonwealth Games (CWG) bronze medal on Wednesday, August 3. It was the nation's first ever medal in the high jump discipline in the history of the Games.

The 23-year-old finished third on the podium by clearing a jump of 2.22m in the CWG 2022 men's high jump final.

India's multiple national record holder, Tejaswin, did not make the CWG cut until the last minute. After going back and forth, he was included in the Games-bound athletics squad. He didn't disappoint and went on to script history.

In the absence of India's athletics poster boy Neeraj Chopra, Tejaswin opened India's medal account in track and field at CWG 2022.

Although Neeraj could not make it to Birmingham due to a groin injury, he is cheering for his friends and the Indian contingent from home.

Neeraj took to Twitter on Thursday to congratulate Tejaswin on his bronze medal win. He wrote:

"And I couldn't be happier to see my friend and brother Tejaswin Shankar win India a first Track & Field medal in the High Jump. Congratulations Bhai, we have come a long way from 4 years back and I hope hope we can celebrate together soon!"

The Olympic gold medalist has been ruled out of CWG after being advised to rest for 20 days due to the injury he sustained on his way to securing a silver medal at the 2022 World Athletics Championships last month.

Meanwhile, the 24-year-old gave an update on his recovery in a separate tweet, writing:

"Hi everyone. I've been away working on getting back to fitness, but it has been amazing to see our Team India athletes do so well in Birmingham! Congratulations to all our medal winners so far, and to all the athletes who are representing Indian st the CWG."

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"My grandmother reading about me in a Tamil newspaper mattered to me the most" - Tejaswin Shankar

A diligent Tejaswin Shankar was clear on what he wanted to do on the field during the final. His strategy and sharp focus helped him ensure a podium finish.

In an interaction from Birmingham, organized by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) after bagging the medal, Tejaswin spoke about his family's reaction:

"I showed them the medal and they were extremely happy. My grandmother, who is 85, could care less about me being featured in an English or Hindi newspaper or, you know, TV channel. However, my grandmother reading about me in a Tamil newspaper mattered to me the most because she can only read Tamil...it's the biggest achievement according to me."