On September 1, lower than a month after profitable bronze on the Commonwealth Video games (CWG), Tejaswin Shankar landed in Kansas Metropolis with a job in hand however no roof over his head. Completely different scene to his 5 years on the Kansas State College, a few hours’ drive from town the place the excessive jumper had the whole lot taken care of. Now he needed to hunt for a home, a course of that was nonetheless on after just a few days of staying with an acquainted Indian household.
The subsequent fast repair? His automotive. In the course of the first week at work, Shankar spent a few nights cooped up inside his four-wheeler earlier than he could possibly be surrounded by partitions as an alternative of doorways.
“Pura Will Smith aur The Pursuit of Happyness wala really feel aaya (felt like Will Smith in The Pursuit of Happyness)—dressing up in my automotive and dashing to workplace,”
Shankar chuckles. “Nevertheless it was a superb expertise; kuch alag (one thing totally different).”
For a few months now, Shankar has been dwelling the totally different life. Having joined as an auditor at Deloitte, the 23-year-old has upgraded to working athlete from scholar athlete. Such is the hustle that his CWG bronze and the build-up drama—Shankar was concerned in a courtroom battle with the nationwide federation over choice and made a last-minute sprint to Birmingham—is a blur. Neglect flaunting the medal to his company colleagues, he has left it at residence in Delhi.
“I don’t even keep in mind that section now,” he says. “I’ve much more to do.”
A 9 to five job—“besides, it’s not all the time 9-5”—auditing books of accounts in workplace or shopper websites whereas squeezing in coaching classes earlier than and after that.
It’s an unconventional routine for an elite Indian athlete. His personal coach questions whether or not it may be sustained, however Shankar desires to provide it a shot for a yr. “I simply really feel like I needed to provide it a attempt. Ho jaunga fail (I would fail), however at the least I’ll have this expertise.”
An early piece of Shankar’s work-sport steadiness puzzle was discovering a 24×7 gym–“lifting and power coaching is an integral element” of his coaching chart–which permits him to work out even late nights. For coaching classes through the week, he checks into the closest highschool monitor however with the winter setting in, he’ll need to quickly journey an hour to an indoor monitor in Lawrence. On Friday evenings, it’s an over two-hour drive to Manhattan, Kansas, to coach with coach Cliff Rovelto within the two-time NCAA champion’s outdated set-up earlier than returning on Sunday nights.
“Time administration comes into play right here,” Shankar simplifies the loopy. “For monitor, some days if I’m travelling for web site go to, I ensure I rise up at 4.30-5am and get the routine carried out after which come again and elevate. Daily is a distinct routine. It’s nonetheless a piece in progress. Till this level, I’ve been in a position to handle it. It’s a each day wrestle, however finally it’s about how badly you need it.”
Shankar does, although his strategies might not align with the single-minded, distraction-free strategy of a typical Indian elite athlete.
For example, he would invariably evaluate his path with function mannequin Neeraj Chopra, till he realised in his second yr of school that although his finish aim is just like the Olympic champion’s his journey is totally different.
“His background is completely totally different,” Shankar says. “I got here from a privileged household, went to high school, skilled for enjoyable. For me, balancing teachers and sports activities was all the time the case. Neeraj mentioned he would prepare for eight hours a day. I didn’t have that possibility—karta toh pitaji dande se bhaga dete (if I had carried out that, my father would have chased me away with a stick).
“I realised my journey is totally different, and the best way I’ve discovered my success in sports activities is by balancing it with no matter else I’m doing; be it faculty or faculty. I realised that’s my power. Until I don’t multi-task, I don’t get that satisfaction. I would like that chaos.”
Chaos is what attracted him to decathlon throughout faculty, an urge to maintain “studying one thing new” and change into a “higher athlete”. On his decathlon debut on the Massive 12 Convention in Texas in Could amid the jumps, he completed third with a creditable 7,592 factors.
Shankar’s huge targets for the subsequent season contain competing in decathlon on the Asian Championships and Asian Video games, and excessive leap on the World Championships in Budapest. For the latter, he goals to qualify by competing in additional rating occasions in Europe subsequent season; for the previous on the Federation Cup.
“For decathlon, on the Asian stage, from the factors that I scored, I really feel I’ve a superb shot at being within the high three,” he says.
His classes at present are extra about constructing a robust base for each. Shankar says the criticial section in his juggling act will probably be January to Could when he’ll not solely have to coach for the technical components of the occasions but additionally journey to compete. “That’s after we’ll work out how a lot time to commit to what,” he says.
At instances, Shankar feels overwhelmed eager about that prospect. At instances, ideas deviate scrolling via social media and seeing the pictures of fellow athletes attending capabilities, award ceremonies and celebratory occasions in India.
“That is once I assume, kaha mein idhar aake audit kar raha hu (what am I doing right here auditing),” he says.
“However once more, I selected this life, and I’m having fun with it thus far.”