Tajinderpal Singh Toor won the gold medal in the shot put event at the Asian Games 2023. Toor, who had previously won the gold medal at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, secured victory with a powerful throw of 20.36 meters on his final attempt. This distance surpassed his Saudi Arabian rival, Mohamed Daouda Tolo, who had thrown 20.18 meters. Although Toor did not break his own Asian Games record of 20.75m, his final throw was too formidable for Tolo to overcome.
In other events, Harmilan Bains won a silver medal for India in the women’s 1500m race, while Ajay Kumar Saroj and Jinson Johnson won silver and bronze respectively in the men’s 1500m race.
The triumph of Toor adds to India’s success at the Asian Games, with the country celebrating multiple gold medals. However, for Indian heptathlete Swapna Barman, who was a star in the previous edition of the games, her journey this year ended in disappointment due to injuries. Despite her personal best of 52.55m in the javelin throw, Barman could only manage a throw of 45.13m in this event, falling out of medal contention.
Toor’s victory reinforces India’s strong presence at the Asian Games and highlights the country’s growing prowess in athletics.