Ludhiana (Punjab) [India], June 13 : Indian athlete Tejas Shirse has rewritten the national record in the 110m hurdles, clocking an outstanding 13.27 seconds at the Indian Athletics Series 9. Tejas, representing the Reliance Foundation, surpassed the previous mark of 13.41 seconds that he had clocked in 2024.

Tejas' record-breaking performance has now secured the qualification standard for the Commonwealth Games 2026. The qualification standard for CWG stood at 13.39 seconds for this event, according to a press release from the Reliance Foundation.
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.
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's 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," he added.
On Day 1 of the Indian Athletics Series 9 at the Guru Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana, Tejas Shirse clinched victory in Race B of the men's 110m hurdles, clocking an impressive 13.27 seconds with a wind reading of +1.6 m/s, according to the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).
Another Reliance Foundation athlete, Krishik M, finished second in 13.55 seconds, while Madhvendra Singh of Rajasthan secured third place with a time of 14.00 seconds.
Harmanjeet Singh of Delhi clocked 14.42 seconds to finish fourth, followed by Haryana's Shivdarshan in fifth with 14.65 seconds. Tarundeep Singh Bhati, representing the Air Force, placed sixth in 15.01 seconds, while All India Police's Sachin Kumar finished seventh in 15.48 seconds.
In Race A, Pankaj Pal Sahu of Punjab claimed victory with a time of 14.65 seconds, assisted by a +1.0 m/s wind. Shubham Rawat of Delhi finished second in 14.77 seconds, followed by Balram Sharma in third with 14.85 seconds. Mukul, representing Rajasthan, placed fourth in 15.23 seconds, while Shivam Singh of Uttar Pradesh finished fifth in 16.91 seconds.

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.