Tejas Shirse runs historic final despite stress fracture

Glasgow: National record-holder Tejas Shirse’s historic appearance in the Commonwealth Games’ men’s 110m hurdles final ended in pain and heartbreak but demonstrated his grit as he ran the race with a stress fracture in his left foot to finish eighth and last in the event.

The 24-year-old clocked 13.76 seconds in the Heats and became the first Indian to enter the final of the competition. But his hopes of improving on that performance suffered a massive blow a few hours later when he sustained a navicular stress fracture in his left foot during the warm-up for the final.

Instead of pulling out, Shirse ran with a heavily taped foot. He finished last in the eight-man field in 15.39 seconds, grimacing in pain before hobbling off the track.

“In the warm-up, I suffered a navicular stress fracture in my left foot. I didn’t want to pull out, so I told my physio to tape it,” Shirse told PTI.

“I am the first Indian to qualify for the 110m hurdles final at the Commonwealth Games, so I didn’t want to let the whole nation down by pulling out.”

The pain became unbearable after the opening hurdle, but he said adrenaline carried him to the finish line.

“I thought I would stop after the first hurdle, but the adrenaline was so much that I could complete the race. But the moment I crossed the first hurdle, I knew it was gone. I am not able to put pressure on it at all,” he said.

Shirse was seen hobbling after the race and struggled to walk while speaking to reporters.

The Maharashtra hurdler said it was a recurrence of an old injury and it was too early to say whether it would affect his participation at the Asian Games in September-October.

“This is not a new injury. It had happened earlier also. I will have to get scans first and then see.”

Reflecting on his historic qualification, Shirse said he had more to offer before the injury hampered him.

“My heat was okay. My body had become cold. It was not the best performance. I know there was a lot more in the tank. I did warm up for the final but it didn’t go as per plan,” he said.

First three in each heat and the next two fastest advance to the final of the competition.

Shirse’s season’s best of 13.27 seconds, which is also the national record, came during the Indian Athletics Series 9 in Ludhiana last month.