One hour of history: India’s night of athletic breakthroughs
Gurindervir’s sub-10.10s sprint, Vishal TK going below 45 seconds in 400m and Tejaswin Shankar’s 8,000-point decathlon mark sets a new benchmark for the country’s track and field scene
Vishal TK and Tejaswin Shankar starred for India at the Federation Cup. (Reliance) To paraphrase an old saying, there are decades where nothing happens in Indian athletics, and there are weeks where decades happen. As the sky above Birsa Munda Stadium glowed red on Saturday evening, the Indian athletes turned the track into their canvas and painted a memorable night for the country’s athletics scene.
Three national records in the 100m, 400m, and decathlon, and three historic firsts for Indian athletics, grabbed the national headlines. Gurindervir Singh became the first Indian to break the 10.10-second barrier in the 100m, Vishal TK clocked 44.98s to become the first Indian quartermiler to dip below 45 seconds, and Tejaswin Shankar became the first Indian decathlete to cross the 8000-point mark, setting a new benchmark for the next generation.
And all of this happened within a space of one hour.
Vishal’s blazing quarter-mile
Vishal TK broke the national record in the 400m last year, and immediately after the feat, he claimed he would become the first Indian to break the sub-45-second barrier.
Nine months later, he delivered on that promise, clocking 44.98s in the 400m final. In the aftermath, he tore off his bib, revealing a message: “44s. Coming home.”
As the big screen flashed his timing, he was mobbed — first by his father, Arasu, and then by his coach, Jason Dawson. An emotional Dawson embraced him tightly, later saying, “I can run four more such races — that’s how excited I am right now. I always knew he could do it, and it happened today. This is just the start. Indians are coming for the world.”
Vishal TK does it!
First Indian to go sub 45 seconds in 400m.
What a day turning out for Indian Athletics! pic.twitter.com/hGE19sQ5Gg
— Pritish Raj (@befikramusafir) May 23, 2026
Starting from lane four, Vishal produced a blistering finish, surging past his rivals on the final bend to win dominantly. “I had already visualised running sub-45 before stepping on the track,” he said. “I’m really happy to be in the history books.”
The 44.98s mark is significant in Indian 400m history, coming more than two decades after the country first crossed the 45.48s barrier. The Asian record, meanwhile, stands at 43.93s, held by Saudi Arabia’s Yousef Masrahi.
TJ: The beast
Tejaswin Shankar, the high jumper who transitioned from high jump to combined events three years ago, produced a personal best of 4:29.02 in the 1500m — the final event of the decathlon — to earn 751 points and take his overall tally to 8057.
Make it another national record.
Tejaswin Shankar scores 8057 points in Decathlon to become the first Indian to cross the 8000m mark in the event.After a poor Javelin event, he clocked 4:29.02 in 1500m to record his new PB.
He also qualified for Commonwealth Games. pic.twitter.com/wuNtY2WmXv
— Pritish Raj (@befikramusafir) May 23, 2026
The decathlon, widely regarded as the ultimate test of human endurance and versatility, is an event India has rarely been associated with at the elite level. But with Tejaswin’s rise, those standards are steadily being redefined.
“He is a beast,” said strength and conditioning coach Wayne Lombard, who has worked closely with him. “He knows exactly what he needs to do and how to do it. I’m not surprised he has crossed 8000 points so early after taking up the decathlon seriously.”
Shankar registered four personal bests — in 100m, long jump, 400m, and 1500m — on his way to breaking the 8000-point barrier, a rare landmark in Indian athletics.
National records will continue to be rewritten, but nights like these, where belief, performance, and history collide, remain among the most memorable in Indian athletics.
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