3 min readNew DelhiJun 13, 2026 10:29 PM IST Last month at the Federation Cup in Ranchi, hurdler Tejas Shirse lost what looked like his last chance to qualify for the Commonwealth Games, clocking 13.67s and 13.50s. Then the Athletics Federation of India announced the Indian Athletics Series in Ludhiana as a final qualification event, giving Shirse another chance. He took it. On Friday, he not only breached the qualification mark of 13.39s but clocked 13.27s to lower his own national record of 13.41s on the track at Guru Nanak Stadium. The celebration that followed told you everything about what it meant for the 24-year-old who had spent four months on the sidelines wondering if he would make it back in time. “That celebration came from inside, you know. I wasn’t expecting anything today. This meet was not even in my plans. Usually, my instinct is to take pressure off the qualification but today, I was just enjoying it out there,” Tejas told The Indian Express after his national record. Tejas has been India’s top …