Tejaswin doesn't want to risk career for instant benefits

Tejaswin Shankar will miss out on the inter-state meet at the end of this month and thereby forego a chance to participate at the Asian Games but the high jumper is clear he doesn't want to risk his career for instant benefits.

Tejaswin cleared 2.28m in March during the Federation Cup National Championships in Patiala to set a new national record, bettering his own mark of 2.26m set two years ago.

Tejaswin Shankar may have been forced to miss out on the inter-state meet at the end of this month and thereby forego a chance to participate at the Asian Games but the high jumper is clear he doesn't want to risk his career for instant benefits.

“It's a call taken after consulting the physio here. Actually, you are supposed to land on your upper back in high jump. But when jumping higher bars, I end up over rotating in air and land on my neck, so the whole body weight comes crashing down on it. And sometimes if the mattress is new and hard, my first jump becomes the last,” Shankar told Sportstar .

READ: Medal prospect high jumper Tejaswin pulls out of Asian Games

The rehab process would include a lot of back and neck strengthening, he explained, followed by some tweaking to the technique and preparing for next year. “I put in some good work last year during this time that made sure this year was great. (I) hope to do the same this year for next year,” he said.

Shankar, however, would be participating in the NCAA Championships on June 8 before starting his rehab. Interestingly, he hasn't received any acknowledgement or reply yet from the AFI on his decision.