Shankar Ready to Give It His All at Nationals
Mar 02, 2022 | Track & Field, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Aside from being among the best college high jumpers in America, Kansas State senior Tejaswin Shankar must also be among the most grateful and optimistic. He could eat a burnt turkey and say, "But the mashed potatoes were great." He could drive through a rainstorm and say, "I saw the prettiest rainbow." And he could finish second in the Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championship due to patellar tendinitis, as he did this past weekend, and say, "It's not always going to be a bed of roses."
"You have to push through the thorns," he says, "and that's when you'll be able to appreciate the roses. I'm living that right now and I'm enjoying it. I don't have any complaints."
Previously hindered by a strained calf and currently dealing with what is called "Jumper's Knee" — an inflamed patellar tendon that connects the kneecap to the shin bone — Shankar just barely fell short of earning his fourth consecutive Big 12 indoor high jump title this past weekend. He jumped 2.20 meters (7 feet, 2.5 inches) — a height he typically jumps at to proverbially clear his throat.
Shankar, a fifth-year senior and New Delhi native, ranks second in the NCAA after a high jump of 2.25 meters (7 feet, 4.50 inches) at the K-State Winter Invitational on December 11, 2021. Last season, he finished third nationally with a jump of 2.24 meters (7 feet, 4.25 inches). He jumped 2.28 meters (7 feet, 5.75 inches) at the 2019 Big 12 Indoor Championships, which ranked third in school history.
Sitting inside a computer lab earlier this week, cellphone pressed to his ear, Shankar, a 3.5 GPA student who is currently working toward his master's degree in accounting, in a near whisper left no questions as to his intentions at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships on March 11 and 12 in Birmingham, Alabama.
"I'm going into it to win," he says, "and to not just participate."
Shankar is a six-time All-American who has won one NCAA Outdoor Championship and five Big 12 titles. He is one of the most highly decorated collegiate track and field athletes in the legendary career of Cliff Rovelto, who has coached 17 Olympians in his 34 years at K-State. Rovelto maintains arguably the strongest lineage of outstanding high jumpers in the country. Shankar was an All-American in the indoor high jump in 2019, 2020 and 2021. He's poised to repeat again this year.
"All the guys that've been through here, a lot of them did have significant success at the national meet, but TJ has had very comparable marks compared to Erik Kynard and Scott Sellers," Rovelto says. "He's up there near the top of the list. I don't know that there's anybody who's contributed as many points as TJ has. He's been a special part of the team for the last three-and-a-half years."
Injuries are new to Shankar. He was in the heptathlon at the K-State DeLoss Dodds Invitational on January 22. He reached personal bests in his first three events — the 60, long jump and shot put. Then going into the high jump, his calf cramped, and he felt a little strain. He was unable to finish the heptathlon. He was in a walking boot for the next two weeks. When he resumed training, "my knee started acting up."
That meant he went into the Big 12 Indoor Championships with only one high jump event under his belt this season —the Wildcat Invitational.
"But I'm grateful that I haven't had a serious injury to totally hamper my opportunity to compete," he says. "I've been able to push through. I was in pain (at the Big 12 Championship), but I'll push through as long as I can push through. One of the biggest reasons I wanted to compete at the Big 12's and that I want to compete in the NCAA Championships is it's my last year, and I mean, I don't have anything to lose at this point.
"I want to make sure I give it my best and set an example for the other athletes on my team that it's not over until it's over."
The plan is to try a little anti-inflammatory medication for the NCAA Championships to hopefully help with any knee pain or stiffness. Currently, Shankar remains in the "learning phase of how to manage this flare up," according to Rovelto, who calls the injury "a weird thing."
"I think he'll be OK," Rovelto says. "Will he be at 100% by then? Probably not, but he's good enough that he doesn't have to be at 100% to be competitive if he can manage it OK."
Shankar, wise and mature beyond his years, keeps everything in perspective.
"Every year, you have goals and aspirations, and you can look at it like you're going to achieve a new record every day, but that doesn't happen in real life anywhere," he says. "You always have ups and downs and that's what makes it more exciting. When you train for something and you're in great shape it doesn't go away in one day or two weeks.
"I still feel like I have everything in me to compete for the indoor national title. That's my goal. That doesn't change. Irrespective of anything, I'm going into it to win and that's my mindset and I'm excited about it."
Through the thorns, Shankar can still see the roses.
Aside from being among the best college high jumpers in America, Kansas State senior Tejaswin Shankar must also be among the most grateful and optimistic. He could eat a burnt turkey and say, "But the mashed potatoes were great." He could drive through a rainstorm and say, "I saw the prettiest rainbow." And he could finish second in the Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championship due to patellar tendinitis, as he did this past weekend, and say, "It's not always going to be a bed of roses."
"You have to push through the thorns," he says, "and that's when you'll be able to appreciate the roses. I'm living that right now and I'm enjoying it. I don't have any complaints."
Previously hindered by a strained calf and currently dealing with what is called "Jumper's Knee" — an inflamed patellar tendon that connects the kneecap to the shin bone — Shankar just barely fell short of earning his fourth consecutive Big 12 indoor high jump title this past weekend. He jumped 2.20 meters (7 feet, 2.5 inches) — a height he typically jumps at to proverbially clear his throat.
Shankar, a fifth-year senior and New Delhi native, ranks second in the NCAA after a high jump of 2.25 meters (7 feet, 4.50 inches) at the K-State Winter Invitational on December 11, 2021. Last season, he finished third nationally with a jump of 2.24 meters (7 feet, 4.25 inches). He jumped 2.28 meters (7 feet, 5.75 inches) at the 2019 Big 12 Indoor Championships, which ranked third in school history.
Sitting inside a computer lab earlier this week, cellphone pressed to his ear, Shankar, a 3.5 GPA student who is currently working toward his master's degree in accounting, in a near whisper left no questions as to his intentions at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships on March 11 and 12 in Birmingham, Alabama.
"I'm going into it to win," he says, "and to not just participate."
Shankar is a six-time All-American who has won one NCAA Outdoor Championship and five Big 12 titles. He is one of the most highly decorated collegiate track and field athletes in the legendary career of Cliff Rovelto, who has coached 17 Olympians in his 34 years at K-State. Rovelto maintains arguably the strongest lineage of outstanding high jumpers in the country. Shankar was an All-American in the indoor high jump in 2019, 2020 and 2021. He's poised to repeat again this year.
"All the guys that've been through here, a lot of them did have significant success at the national meet, but TJ has had very comparable marks compared to Erik Kynard and Scott Sellers," Rovelto says. "He's up there near the top of the list. I don't know that there's anybody who's contributed as many points as TJ has. He's been a special part of the team for the last three-and-a-half years."
Injuries are new to Shankar. He was in the heptathlon at the K-State DeLoss Dodds Invitational on January 22. He reached personal bests in his first three events — the 60, long jump and shot put. Then going into the high jump, his calf cramped, and he felt a little strain. He was unable to finish the heptathlon. He was in a walking boot for the next two weeks. When he resumed training, "my knee started acting up."
That meant he went into the Big 12 Indoor Championships with only one high jump event under his belt this season —the Wildcat Invitational.
"But I'm grateful that I haven't had a serious injury to totally hamper my opportunity to compete," he says. "I've been able to push through. I was in pain (at the Big 12 Championship), but I'll push through as long as I can push through. One of the biggest reasons I wanted to compete at the Big 12's and that I want to compete in the NCAA Championships is it's my last year, and I mean, I don't have anything to lose at this point.
"I want to make sure I give it my best and set an example for the other athletes on my team that it's not over until it's over."
The plan is to try a little anti-inflammatory medication for the NCAA Championships to hopefully help with any knee pain or stiffness. Currently, Shankar remains in the "learning phase of how to manage this flare up," according to Rovelto, who calls the injury "a weird thing."
"I think he'll be OK," Rovelto says. "Will he be at 100% by then? Probably not, but he's good enough that he doesn't have to be at 100% to be competitive if he can manage it OK."
Shankar, wise and mature beyond his years, keeps everything in perspective.
"Every year, you have goals and aspirations, and you can look at it like you're going to achieve a new record every day, but that doesn't happen in real life anywhere," he says. "You always have ups and downs and that's what makes it more exciting. When you train for something and you're in great shape it doesn't go away in one day or two weeks.
"I still feel like I have everything in me to compete for the indoor national title. That's my goal. That doesn't change. Irrespective of anything, I'm going into it to win and that's my mindset and I'm excited about it."
Through the thorns, Shankar can still see the roses.
Players Mentioned
/ Track & Field
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