In the heats of the men’s 110m hurdles at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, India’s Tejas Shirse came agonisingly close to creating history.
Running in a star-studded field, the 21-year-old from Maharashtra clocked 13.57 seconds to finish sixth in his heat and 29th overall, missing out on a semifinal berth by the slimmest of margins just 0.06 seconds. The cut-off for non-automatic qualification was 13.55s, a mark Shirse was within touching distance of but could not quite match on the day.
Shirse’s assignment was always going to be challenging. Drawn in Heat 5, the final and fastest of the qualification round, he lined up against some of the world’s finest hurdlers, including Grant Holloway, the American superstar and three-time defending world champion, and Jamaica’s Mason, one of the rising forces in the event. The presence of Japan’s home favourite Muratake and China’s Liu further deepened the quality of the line-up.
As the gun went off, Shirse produced a strong start, staying clean over the first two hurdles. For the opening 30 metres, he looked composed, running level with Austria’s Enzo Diessl and South Africa’s Antonio Alkana. But once the leaders began to surge, the race splintered. Mason, Muratake, and Liu cleared the mid-race hurdles with blistering precision, leaving Holloway slightly behind but still well within qualifying range. Shirse, meanwhile, kept rhythm but lacked the final burst needed to stay in contention.
Mason powered through to win the heat in a season’s best 13.17s, followed by Muratake (13.22s) and Liu (13.23s, a personal best). Holloway did enough to secure the final automatic qualifying spot in 13.27s. Diessl was fifth in 13.37s, and Shirse crossed the line sixth in 13.57s, ahead of Alkana (13.64s). It was a race where the margins were razor-thin, but the quality of opposition meant any slip in speed would be punished heavily.
The qualification system for the 110m hurdles gave the top four finishers in each heat automatic progression, with the next four fastest times across all heats filling the remaining slots. With heats producing times in the 13.20s and 13.30s range consistently, Shirse’s 13.57s left him just outside the cut-off. The final non-automatic qualifier scraped through with 13.55s, leaving the Indian short by a mere six-hundredths of a second. That margin may appear tiny, but in hurdles it is the difference between advancing and elimination.
A slightly quicker reaction at the start, a cleaner clearance over one barrier, or even stronger drive in the final 10 metres could have changed the outcome. For Shirse, the lesson was clear: he is not far off the pace of the very best.
A Step Forward for Indian Sprint Hurdles
Despite the heartbreak of missing the semifinals, Shirse’s performance represents a significant stride forward for Indian sprint hurdling. His 13.57s timing came under pressure on the grandest stage, against Olympic and World medallists. Until recently, Indian participation in sprint hurdles at the world level was rare, and advancing beyond the heats seemed a distant dream. Shirse has been steadily climbing the ladder in Asian and international competitions, lowering his timings consistently through the 2024 and 2025 seasons. The Tokyo experience will now serve as a benchmark proof that he can compete with elite hurdlers, provided he sharpens his execution.
The difference between his timing and Holloway’s 13.27s in the same heat may appear large, but the gap to semifinal qualification was only 0.05s a margin that is very much bridgeable.
The 110m hurdles remains one of the most fiercely competitive events in world athletics, dominated traditionally by Americans and Jamaicans. At this championship, the semifinal line-up reflected that pattern: four Americans, three Jamaicans, three Chinese hurdlers, and Japan’s Muratake made it through, underlining the dominance of these nations. For India to break into this circle requires years of technical refinement and exposure, but Shirse’s effort in Tokyo suggests the first steps are being taken.
India’s campaign in Tokyo had already seen disappointment earlier in the day, with long jumper Sreeshankar Murli bowing out after a best of 7.78m, well short of his usual range. Shirse’s narrow miss compounded the feeling of what might have been. Yet, unlike Sreeshankar’s off-day, Shirse’s result was more encouraging than deflating he came within fractions of a second of progression in a discipline where India has little tradition.
Shirse’s race highlighted areas of both strength and improvement. His start was efficient, and he handled the first five hurdles with control. Where he lost ground was in maintaining top-end speed from hurdles six to eight, a phase where the leading trio pulled clear decisively. Improving speed endurance and polishing his clearance efficiency in this mid-to-late race section will be crucial. Indian athletics has, in recent years, begun to invest more in technical events beyond the traditional throws and jumps. Shirse’s progress is a result of that shift.
Exposure to European circuit races, access to stronger competition, and advanced biomechanical support will be essential for him to convert near-misses into breakthroughs.
For now, the numbers tell the story: 13.57s, 29th overall, 0.05s away from the semifinals. Not a qualification, but not a failure either. In a sport of inches and hundredths, this was a race that showed India’s fastest sprint hurdler belongs on the same track as the world’s elite.
Heat 5 – Official Results, Top 7
- Vashaun Mason (JAM) – 13.17s SB
- Muratake (JPN) – 13.22s
- Liu (CHN) – 13.23s PB
- Grant Holloway (USA) – 13.27s
- Enzo Diessl (AUT) – 13.37s
- Tejas Shirse (IND) – 13.57s
- Antonio Alkana (RSA) – 13.64s
