India’s Tejas Shirse, centre, Saint Lucia’s Khailan Vitalis, left, and others compete in the men’s 110m hurdles round 1 heat 1 athletics at the 23rd Commonwealth Games, in Glasgow.
| Photo Credit: PTI
India’s 110m hurdles star Tejas Shirse on Tuesday (August 4, 2026) revealed that he will not be able to compete in the upcoming Asian Games in Japan as he participated in the recently-concluded Commonwealth Games with “two stress fractures” on his left foot.
Shirse became the first Indian to reach the 110m hurdles finals in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, with a time of 13.76 seconds.
But running with a heavily taped foot, Shirse finished last in an eight-men field, clocking 15.39 seconds while grimacing in pain.
“This isn’t the post I dreamed of writing. I thought I’d be holding a medal. This was the time I was prepared to win. Instead, I’m holding MRI reports,” Shirse wrote in a touching Instagram post.
“Two stress fractures in my left foot. A dream paused. A season over,” he added.
In his emotional outpouring, Shirse conceded that his Asian Games, beginning on September 19 in Japan, dreams are over.
“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!
“It’s been 9 major competitions in total if i am not wrong that i missed out on. Today, I don’t have a comeback story. I have pain.
“Questions. Regret over a few choices I know I could’ve made differently. And a future I suddenly can’t see as clearly as I did a week ago. I’ll be back when I know who I am after this chapter,” he said.
Shirse had the personal choice of not running the CWG final, but he chose to ignore the warning signals his injured body gave.
“I didn’t feel it (injury) 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.
“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,” he said.
The 24-year-old also laughed off the comments of him feigning the injury.
“I’ve read the comments — I limped because I was in last position” No! I limped because my foot was broken.”
However, Shirse did not seek sympathy.
“For the first time in a long time…I genuinely don’t know what comes next. But if this sport has taught me anything, it’s that your strongest identity can’t be built on your fastest race.
“Right now, I’m not asking for sympathy,” he added.
Shirse expressed optimism that his will to fight injuries will inspire other athletes who go through a similar phase.
“People ask why I keep sharing my journey. Some say every time I do, it brings nazar. Maybe. But I started sharing my story for a different reason.
“If my journey can help even one person believe that setbacks are not the end, then I’ll continue to be honest about both the highs and the lows,” he said.
Published – August 05, 2026 12:53 am IST
