Commonwealth Games 2026: All you need to know about Tejas Shirse

Over the last three years, Tejas Ashok Shirse has been the flag bearer of Indian men's 110m hurdles.

After overcoming a significant ankle injury earlier this year, Tejas has returned to produce the fastest performances of his career, earning his maiden Commonwealth Games selection.

The 24-year-old from Maharashtra heads to the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow as the country's national record holder in both the 110m hurdles and the indoor 60m hurdles.

Early days

Born on June 4, 2002, in Aurangabad (now Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar), Maharashtra, Tejas did not begin his sporting career on the athletics track.

He initially trained as a gymnast, developing balance, flexibility and coordination that would later become key strengths in hurdling.

Limited infrastructure during his early years meant he often trained using homemade wooden hurdles while honing his technique.

The unconventional training environment laid the foundation for a career that has steadily taken him to the top of Indian sprint hurdling.

Rising through the ranks

Tejas gradually established himself as one of India's leading hurdlers through consistent performances on the domestic circuit. Alongside the 110m hurdles, he also competed in the 100m, 200m and indoor 60m hurdles, improving his sprint speed and technical efficiency.

In early 2025, he set a new national record in the men's 60m hurdles, clocking 7.64 seconds indoors to become India's fastest athlete in the event.

His performances continued to improve, earning him multiple national titles and regular appearances in international competitions, including a top-eight finish at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships.

Comeback season

The biggest challenge of Tejas' career came when he suffered a serious ankle injury that kept him out of competition for nearly four months.

The injury interrupted his momentum and delayed his preparations for the 2026 season. Although he returned to competition at the Federation Cup, he was still working his way back to full fitness.

His breakthrough came at the Indian Athletics Series-9 in Ludhiana in June 2026. Tejas clocked 13.27 seconds in the men's 110m hurdles, breaking his own national record and comfortably achieving the qualification standard for both the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games.

The performance established him as the fastest Indian in the history of the event and marked a successful return after months of rehabilitation.

Eyes on Glasgow

Tejas heads to Glasgow for his maiden Commonwealth Games after becoming the first Indian male 110m hurdler to qualify for the Games since 2014.

The competition will provide an opportunity for him to test himself against some of the Commonwealth's top hurdlers while continuing his progress at the international level.