Representing Reliance, Tejas clocked a time of 13.27s, improving on his previous mark of 13.41s in the men’s 110m hurdles event that saw fellow Reliance athlete Krishik Manjunath finish second. Tejas’ mark also saw him meet the stiff qualification standard for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The qualification standard for CWG stood at 13.39 seconds for this event.
Talking about the performance Tejas Shirse said,"After missing the CWG qualification line closely in Ranchi and Taiwan despite finishing on the podium, I changed my mindset today. I told myself it’s a Free Hit. You don't look for the 'perfect' shot; you just hit it out of the park or you get out. I took off without the pressure, treated it like training, and let the legs do the talking. Huge credit to the Reliance Foundation team for backing my recovery and training—this result belongs to our teamwork!"
Tejas has been in fine form this season, having come agonisingly close to his own national record previously as well and winning Gold at the Federation Cup in Ranchi last month.
Tejas’ timing is the sixth-fastest in the men’s 110m hurdles event among Asian athletes in 2026.
The Reliance Foundation supported athlete has consistently pushed the envelope in Indian hurdling and was just the second Indian ever to qualify for the World Championships in the men’s 110 hurdles event last year.
Tejas’ coach James Hillier, Athletics Director at the Reliance Foundation, credited his perseverance for the record-breaking effort, saying, “I am delighted with this performance. His efforts in training over the last few weeks have been hinting at a performance like this. I am really pleased for him as he has been working very hard."
“He had an injury at the start of the year but has bounced back really strongly from it and it is a credit to him and the team here at Reliance that has worked with him so closely and nursed him back to his peak performance. I hope he continues this consistency and peaks at the major tournaments this year.”
Tejas has immensely benefited by being a part of the athletics program at Reliance Foundation, with him having broken both the indoor and outdoor national record in the hurdles event multiple times over the last two years.
With a new national record in his kitty, the 24-year old Tejas will now look to have a good showing at the Inter-State Athletics Championships later this month in Bhubaneswar and seal his spot in the Indian squad for the Commonwealth Games.