Asian Games 2023: Tajinderpal Singh Toor wins gold in men's shot put

This is the second consecutive gold for the Indian athlete at the continental event.

Tajinderpal Singh Toor added to India's golden haul at the Asian Games 2023 by bagging a gold medal in the men's shot put event.

Tajinderpal Singh Toor commenced his endeavor with a formidable initial throw, which unfortunately did not meet the criteria and was disqualified. His second attempt faced a similar fate. However, Toor achieved success with his third and valid throw, attaining a distance of 19.51m and made the cut for the next round of the event.

In his next throw, Tajinder found a distance of 20.06m and stood behind Saudi Arabia’s Mohamed Daouda, who attained a distance of 20.18m. But, with a throw of 20.36m in the sixth and final throw, the Indian hulk made it to the top of the list, thus assuring a gold for the country.

Tajinder had also achieved a gold medal at the previous edition of the Asian Games held in Jakarta. This remarkable triumph solidified his position as the fourth Indian shot putter to successfully defend their title in the Asian Games, following in the footsteps of esteemed athletes Parduman Singh Brar, Joginder Singh, and Bahadur Singh Chouhan.

Tajinder was followed by Mohamed Daouda of Saudi Arabia and Liu Yang of China, who finished second and third in the event with 20.18m and 19.97m throws respectively.

The second participant representing India, Sahib Singh, concluded the competition in eighth place, achieving a best throw of 18.62m.

This marks India's second gold medal in the field of athletics. Avinash Mukund Sable, in a magnificent display of skill, secured the nation's first gold by achieving the top position in the 3000m steeplechase event with a remarkable timing of 8:19:50s.

India's gold count has reached 13 after Tajinderpal Singh Toor's victory. Furthermore, with 20 silver medals and 19 bronze medals, India currently holds the fourth position in the medal standings followed by Uzbekistan with 40 medals.