Picture Credit: Twitter
Tajinderpal Singh Toor, India's star shotput thrower, broke both the national and Asian records during the current National Inter-State Championships being held at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
Tajinderpal achieved a new Asian record and surpassed his own national mark by tossing the ball 21.77m, which also qualified him for the World Athletics Championships. The 28-year-old, who had previously held the country's mark of 21.49m, improved on it on Monday. With this record-breaking throw, Tajinderpal has raised his chances of winning a medal at the upcoming Asian Games.
Tajinderpal acknowledged his late grandmother who had died just three days ago for helping him when he had no sponsors following his record-breaking performance. “I dedicate this win to my grandmother, who helped me by sending money from Canada when I had no sponsors,” said Tajinderpal after qualifying for the Asian Games 2023.
He continued by saying that his goal for the future is to surpass the 22m mark. Tajinderpal, who has previously taken home a gold medal at the Asian Games, won the competition in 2018 with a distance of 20.75m.
Tajinderpal threw 21.09m in the opening throw of his record-breaking campaign. His third throw measured 21.77 metres, whereas his second throw was a foul. Tajinderpal was named the competition's best male athlete, and Jyothi Yarraji who won gold in the 100m hurdles was named the best female athlete.
