Tejas Shirse clocks new national record in 110m hurdles
Tejas Shirse has just given India's track and field enthusiasts something to cheer about. Racing in Finland, the 21-year-old clocked a national record of 13.41 in the 110m hurdles.
Shirse arrived in Finland after an impressive outing in Germany last week. Competing at the Motonet Grand Prix, the Indian seemed in form from the very beginning. He was placed in heat 1 and clocked a 13.57 to top the chart there. This time was just 0.01 second off of his personal best, promising fans that there were more exciting things to come in the finals.
Racing in the finals at the Harjun Stadium, Tejas Shirse was absolutely on fire. He crossed the finish line in 13.41 seconds, beating out several home favorites for the win. This time broke Siddharth Thingalaya’s seven-year-old national record by 0.07 seconds and shaved 0.15 seconds off of Shirse’s personal best.
In second place behind the Indian was Finn Elmo Lakka with a season best of 13.50. Rounding out the podium was Lanka's compatriot, who clocked a new personal best of 13.64 for the bronze.
Reacting to his feat, Tejas Shirse took to his Instagram to express that he was hungry for more. Posting pictures from the meet in Jyvaskyla, he wrote,
“God is willing to sell you anything at the price of your labor. 13.41, a new national record and a PB. 64 days out for the Road to Olympics 2024. Job isn't finished yet. Thanks team, you know who you are.”
Tejas Shirse’s performances in 2024
Meanwhile, Tejas Shirse has been having an overall amazing 2024. In the run-up to the Paris Olympics, the youngster has put up multiple impressive performances, making it to the podium in a majority of the competitions he's participated in so far.
Shirse got his season started in February, in the 60m hurdles at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships. While in Tehran, the 21-year-old made it to the finals, finishing fifth.
Shirse opened his outdoor season in May with the Harry Schulting Games. Competing in Vught he clocked a personal best of 13.56 for the win. Next, he went on to perform at the B&S Kurpfalz Gala Weinheim, where he missed out on gold by just 0.04 seconds, losing to home favorite Manuel Mordi.