CWG: Tulika Maan And Tejaswin Shankar's Medals Are Special. Both Were Not Part Of Original Squad

The gritty athletes shrugged off all the pressure and finished on the podium on Wednesday at Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham.

Tejaswin Shankar (L) and Tulika Maan won bronze and silver, respectively.

Source : PTI

Representing a country at an international event is a milestone every sportsperson strives for. But getting that chance is not an easy task, and there may be different kinds of hurdles. The stories of high jumper Tejaswin Shankar and judoka Tulika Maan were no different. But both the gritty athletes shrugged off all the pressure and finished on the podium on Wednesday at Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham.

For both Tulika and Tejaswin, the battle was not only on the ground but outside also as both had to fight their respective federations to be in the squad.

Tejaswin had even moved court to get an order in his favour after the Athletics Federation of India refused to select him for the 2022 Games. Until five days before he left for the UK, the high jumper was not sure if he would be part of the showpiece event as he sat at his home watching the CWG opening ceremony, said a report in The Indian Express.

The Delhi athlete, however, was quick to shed all the disappointments and heartbreaks as he got the call at the eleventh hour. "The moment I got my visa, I adopted a positive mindset, and removed all negative thoughts. Because physically, and mentally, you have to be focused on the jump. Make things happen. I had my opportunity. I didn’t want to change any routine," the 23-year-old was quoted as saying in the IE report.

Tejaswin proved himself in Birmingham with a bronze medal as he cleared 2.22 metres in his first attempt. Though his personal best was 2.29m, he couldn't clear 2.28m, the gold medal position. 

Tulika's Fight With Her Fate & Federation 

The struggle was equally tough for Tulika Maan, who went down fighting against Scotland’s Sarah Adlington for the gold medal bout and settled for a silver. Till a few months ago, she was contemplating quitting the sport. The Judo Federation of India (JFI) had dropped her name from the final list of judokas to fly to Birmingham. Tulika then wrote an email to the JFI president, calling the decision "unfortunate", The Indian Express reported.

The reason for her exclusion by the judo body was the fact that her weight category was not included in the selection trials. "Kindly add my weight category +78 kg in the above selection, otherwise I have no other option to leave judo forever due to wrong management and selection criteria of JFI," she had written, as quoted in the report.

The federation finally relented as her name was added to the list on the penultimate day before the contingent flew to Birmingham.

A fight for survival is, however, not new to Tulika who lost her parents at a very young age.

According to reports, she was only 14 when her father was shot dead over a business rivalry.

She endured many hardships on her way to the podium finish at CWG 2022. But she says that her journey has just begun.

Tulika thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for spearheading the Khelo India scheme. "I am not happy with my performance but nothing can be done now. I want to thank PM Narendra Modi for his help as he started Khelo India scheme. I dedicate this medal to my mother and coach," news agency ANI quoted her as saying.