India’s 110m hurdler Tejas Shirse has revealed that he competed in the Commonwealth Games final with two stress fractures in his left foot, saying his season has now come to an abrupt end.
Shirse had stormed into the 100m final with a strong run of 13.76 seconds, finishing third in the heats. However, the athlete visibly struggled in the final of the event on July 27, marking a heartbreaking end to his campaign.
In the finals, the Indian was slow out of the blocks and, despite clearing the opening hurdles, visibly lost pace before pulling up near the finish line. His medal hopes ended in agony as he limped across the line, with the extent of the injury remaining unclear until after the race.
TEJAS SHIRSE’S INJURY
In an emotional post on Instagram, Shirse revealed that he had only realised something was seriously wrong during the warm-up before the final but chose to race despite the pain.
“I didn’t feel it going into the competition. Something changed during warm-up. Every athlete knows that moment when your body tells you something is wrong, but your heart refuses to listen,” Shirse wrote.
“So I ran. Not because I thought I would win. Because sometimes you’ve worked too long to walk away before the gun goes off.”
The Indian hurdler later underwent scans, which revealed two stress fractures in his left foot, forcing him to end his season.
“Instead, I’m holding MRI reports. Two stress fractures in my left foot. A dream paused. A season over,” he said.
Shirse also addressed criticism on social media after videos of him limping during the race circulated online.
“I’ve read the comments. ‘I limped because I was in last position.’ No. I limped because my foot was broken,” he wrote.
NO ASIAN GAMES FOR TEJAS SHIRSE
The stress fractures mean the 22-year-old will miss the upcoming Asian Games, scheduled to be held in Japan in September and October. Shirse described it as one of the hardest moments of his career.
“The cruelest part isn’t one race. It’s knowing I qualified for the Asian Games… and now I won’t get to stand on that start line again,” he said, adding that it would be the ninth major competition he has missed because of injury.
Despite the setback, Shirse said he was not looking for sympathy but wanted to honestly share both the highs and lows of his sporting journey.
“Right now, I’m not asking for sympathy. I’ll be back when I know who I am after this chapter,” he concluded.
India had a mixed outing in sprinting in the Commonwealth Games. Two of India’s fastest men – Gurindervir Singh and Animesh Kujur – failed to reach the final of their respective events.
There were unlikely heroes in the para-athletics, with Dilip Mahatu and Mohammed Basil securing a one-two finish in the men’s 100m T47 event.
Shirse, on the other hand, started strong but faded out due to injury. Jamaica’s Demario Prince won the gold in the event, with a run of 13.17 seconds.
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