Tajinderpal Toor misses historic hat-trick, finishes with silver in men's shot put
Tajinderpal Singh Toor's bid for a hat-trick of Asian Games gold medals came to an end on Saturday, but the Indian shot putter still left the continental showpiece with a medal.
Toor finished with silver in the men's shot put final after producing the best throw of 20.64m. Iran's Mohammadreza Tayebise won gold with a Games record of 20.81m, while Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Tolu took bronze with 20.48m.
Tayebise's winning effort surpassed Toor's Asian Games record of 20.75m, set when he won gold at the Jakarta Games in 2018.
The competition had started with Toor facing an early challenge. After Tayebise's 20.81m put him in front, Toor's 20.26m effort briefly left him in third place. He needed a response and produced it when it mattered.
In his fifth attempt, Toor sent the shot 20.64 m, his best effort of the competition and a season-best mark. The throw took him past Tolu and into silver-medal position. He could not find the extra distance needed to catch Tayebise, finishing 17cm behind the Iranian.
It brought an end to Toor's run of two successive Asian Games gold medals, but extended his podium streak at the Games to three editions.
Toor won gold in Jakarta in 2018 with a 20.75m throw and defended his title at the Hangzhou Games, held in 2023, with an effort of 20.36m.
He had arrived in Aichi-Nagoya with a chance to become the first Indian track and field athlete to win three successive individual Asian Games gold medals. That opportunity disappeared with Tayebise's record-breaking throw, but Toor still became a three-time Asian Games medallist.TOOR'S LONG RUN AT THE TOP
Toor's journey to becoming one of India's leading shot putters began in Khosa Pando village in Punjab's Moga district. Raised in a farming family, he initially played cricket before taking up shot put at his father's encouragement.
The switch changed his career. Toor went on to win Asian Championships gold in 2019 and 2023 and Asian Indoor Championships gold in 2024. He won silver at the 2026 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships.
His biggest throw came in 2023, when he produced 21.77m to set the Indian national record. The mark also stood as the Asian record at the time.
A two-time Olympian, Toor represented India at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He has also been a Target Olympic Podium Scheme athlete since November 2018, with government assistance supporting his participation in international competitions and overseas training camps.
His Asian Games record now reads two gold medals and one silver. For the first time since 2018, Toor did not finish on top of the podium at the Games. But he did not leave empty-handed either.- Ends
