India, July 23 -- In mid-February this year, when Tejas Shirse sat down with his support team to assess where his season stood, the conclusion appeared obvious.

Forget the Commonwealth Games.

The 24-year-old hurdler from Maharashtra was still recovering from an ankle injury he suffered late in 2025. The qualification standard looked unrealistic, the timeline too short and the risk of rushing back too great.

"It was the sensible thing to do," Shirse told HT from his training base in Poland, where he is putting the finishing touches on his preparations for the Commonwealth Games.

Injury had forced reality upon everyone around him. Shirse chose to cling to hope.

"In my mind, I was always like, 'I want to go to Commonwealth Games. But I'...