Tejas Shirse had two reasons to turn up at the Japan National Stadium on Tuesday, a day after making his World Athletics Championships debut in the men’s 110m Hurdles: the first was to cheer for compatriot Sarvesh Anil Kushare in the men’s High Jump final, and the other was to watch Grant Holloway in the High Hurdles semifinals.
He raced from his position behind the High Jump area, through the concourse bustling with fans queuing up at concessionaires, to find a vantage position from where he could watch the three semifinals.
Eventually, he made his way to the gallery beside the last two sets of hurdles in time to watch Jamaica’s Orlando Bennett win the first semifinal.
A confident and eloquent lad, he seemed more tense standing in the gallery
than he would have been at the starting line on Monday when only one lane separated him from Holloway. “I was focused on my race, the starter’s orders, and getting to compete the best I can,” he said, clearly indicating that it was not the time to be a fan.
But as the eight hurdlers line up at the start of the third semifinal, Tejas Shirse placed his left index finger on the lower lip in what seemed a reflex action. He opened his eyes wider to zone in on the man in lane 8 and immerse himself in thought. Holloway may have had a less-than-stellar season, but the Indian lad would be rooting for him to magically find that extra gear.
He watched the 27-year-old get off the blocks rather slowly – the American had the fourth fastest reaction time among the seven starters – but his hopes rose when Holloway found the pace and rhythm to be in the mix at the halfway stage. “C’mon, Grant, c’mon,” Tejas Shirse screamed in rage when the American appeared to challenge the others.
But deep down, even Tejas Shirse would have known that the Paris 2024 Olympic gold medalist was struggling. In a trice, the Indian lad raised his hands behind his head in disappointment and shock when it was clear that Holloway did not have the pace to make it to the final in what was the fastest of the three semifinals.
As Holloway stuttered to a sixth-place finish in his semifinals, trailing in 13.52 seconds, Tejas Shirse came to terms with the fact that a new World Champion would be crowned later in the evening. He was not overly concerned about who it could be, preferring to return to the High Jump area to continue egging on Sarvesh Kushare.
The 23-year-old Tejas Shirese admitted that Holloway’s loss felt personal. “Who would not admire someone with a hat-trick of World Championships gold medals? I had a good half-hour conversation with Grant,” he said, indicating that the American shared his knowledge without hesitation.
“I am glad I made it to the World Championships and could compete here. I realised that it is easier than it appears on a Television screen. Of course, I am aware that I have work to do. My personal best (13.51 seconds) was at peak fitness, while a less-than-competitive Grant completed the race in 13.52 seconds,” he said, ranked 29th after clocking 13.57 in the heats.
The moments spent beside a 23-year-old Indian athlete on Tuesday, watching the 110m Hurdles semifinals, were revealing. They swept aside popular perception that young Indian athletes do not engage with others or are good students of sport, willing to learn from those who are better at the sport than themselves.
The foot injury midway through the season kept him away from the track for two months, and he had to manage some pain at the World Championships. He came up with only his second-best time of the year and will return from Tokyo with more layers of knowledge and greater belief that he can make the cut more frequently.
