Why Jeswin Aldrin, Tejaswin Shankar missed WAC, CWG contingents

Both athletes could be forced to skip the upcoming tournament.

When it comes to some of the most talented athletes in India, then Jeswin Aldrin and Tejaswin Shankar are two names that are always part of the discussion. The former is one of the best athletes in the long-jump event while the latter is the national record holder in the high jump. The duo has faced a series of troubles amidst preparing for the World Athletics Championships and the 2022 Commonwealth Games respectively.

Jeswin Aldrin, despite being the best long jumper this season, lost his place in the team for the World Athletics Championships. On the other hand, Tejaswin Shankar, who is the national record holder with a 2.29m effort in the high jump event, faced multiple hurdles to make the final team which will travel to Birmingham for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

As both athletes sweat it out both on the track and off it, let’s take a look at the qualification woes both individuals have faced recently:

Jeswin Aldrin 

During the Federation Cup in April, Jeswin Aldrin recorded the best jump of the season by an Indian. He made an 8.26m jump at the Federation Cup, thus breaching the 8.22m qualification mark set for the World Championships. He also made a ‘wind-assisted’ long jump of 8.37m attempt to win the said event. This effort ensured Aldrin’s place at the prestigious event that will take place in Oregon, United States of America. Furthermore, the 8.26m jump also remains the seventh-highest mark in the world this season. 

Dwindling Form

However, the 20-year-old soon lost his form and recorded underwhelming performances. He could not even hit the 8m mark in the following three competitions. Aldrin could only come up with a 7.51m in the final of the National Inter-State Championships, which were the final qualification round for the upcoming worlds. As a result, he lost his place in the final team that would represent India at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. 

Jeswin Aldrin could not make the 2022 Commonwealth Games team, as national record holder Murali Sreeshankar and Muhammed Anees Yahiya got the nod ahead of him. However, the long jumper received one last chance to make his World Athletics Championships debut. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) invited him for a selection trial at NIS Patiala on July 4 setting a target of close to 8.10m for the athlete. He made six clean jumps and the best effort was a 7.99m, which is certainly close to the mark set by the AFI. Another trial took place on 8 July 2022 where the best Aldrin could deliver was a 7.93m jump.

Tejaswin Shankar

Since he was 17, Tejaswin Shankar has held the national record in the high jump event. His effort of  2.29 metres is currently the best by an Indian high-jumper. Furthermore, the 23-year-old recorded his season-best jump of  2.27 metres at the American inter-college NCAA Championship, becoming only the second Indian to win the event. This should ideally secure a ticket for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, United Kingdom.

However, the Athletics Federation of India simply ignored this effort by Shankar. Instead, AFI's designated qualification event – the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships – was taken into account in selecting the final contingent for the multi-sport event. “Shankar did not come to take part in National Inter-State and did not seek exemption. "He did not take permission from us before he competed in the USA," AFI president Adil Sumariwalla said after excluding Shankar from the squad for CWG.

Approaching the Delhi High Court

This statement prompted Tejaswin Shankar to approach the Delhi High Court. His affidavit states that he did request chief national coach Radhakrishnan Nair for exemption in February 2022. To this end, screenshots of WhatsApp communication between Shankar and Nair were submitted as well.

As things stand, Tejaswin Shankar’s inclusion is up in the air. Justice Jasmeet Singh at the Delhi High Court heard the case and directed that "the Selection Committee shall consider the case of Shankar on merits of his jumps and his non-participation in the interstate championship shall not be the sole criteria for rejecting his candidature. These are record holders and you don't let them go... He (Shankar) is a medal prospect. Let it not be an ego problem."

It will be very disheartening to see India’s best high jumper becoming a victim of petty politics by the higher-ups at the Athletics Federation of India. The next hearing for the case is set for Friday. 

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.