Who is Tajinderpal Singh Toor? All you need to know about Indian shot putter`competing at the Paris Olympics 2024
Hailing from Khosa Pando village in Moga district in Punjab, the Indian ace shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor switched from the game of cricket to shot put at the insistence of his father.
Tajinderpal Singh holds the Indian Navy Rank of Chief Petty Officer, recruited under a sports quota program, allowing him to train and compete internationally in men's shot put events.
Initial journey
In 2017, Tajinderpal Singh achieved his then-personal best throw of 20.40m at the National Senior Athletics Championships in Patiala. However, he couldn't meet the World Championships qualification standard of 20.50m.
Later in 2017, Tajinderpal secured the silver medal at the Asian Athletics Championships in Bhubaneshwar with a throw of 19.77m, missing the gold medal by 0.03m. At the Commonwealth Games in 2018, he finished at the eighth rank with a throw of 19.42m.
Asian Games gold medal win
Subsequently, in the Asian Games 2018, he secured the gold medal with a throw of 20.75m, breaking the Games record and the national record. Later in 2019, he secured another gold medal at the Asian Athletics Championships in Doha with a 20.22m throw.
Tajinderpal Singh Toor at the Tokyo Olympics
He made the cut for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 after registering a throw of 21.49m at the Indian Grand Prix IV in June 2021, clearing the entry standard of 21.10m, and breaking the Asian and national records.
He participated in the competition with a heavily bandaged shoulder, securing only one legal throw of 19.99m in the qualifying round and failing to reach the final round.
Multiple injury breaks
Unfortunately, Tajindepal Singh Toor has struggled with fitness in the past few years. Just after the conclusion of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, he went under the knife on the left wrist of his throwing arm.
Later, he suffered a groin injury after bagging the gold medal at the Asian Championships in July 2023 in Bangkok. Subsequently, he pulled out of the Budapest World Championships with a groin injury.
At the Asian Games in 2023 in Hangzhou, China, Tajinderpal bagged his second consecutive gold medal with a throw of 20.36m.
Missing out on the Asian record
Later, he achieved a throw of 21.77m at the 2023 nationals in Bhubaneswar, the new Asian record. However, Mohamed Daouda Tolo from Saudi Arabia surpassed Singh's record with 21.80 meters on June 21 during the Estadio Vallehermoso Meet in Madrid.
Paris Olympics 2024 qualification
He qualified for the Paris Olympics 2024 via the Road to Paris rankings at the 23rd rank in the men’s shot put rankings.
Most recently in June 2024, Tajinderpal Singh Toor clinched the gold medal with his best effort of 19.93m at the National Inter-State Athletics Championships in Panchkula, Haryana.
Earlier in May at the 27th National Federation Senior Athletics Competition 2024, he bagged the title with a throw of 20.38m. Earlier in the 3rd Indian Open Throws Competition in Patiala, he bagged the gold medal with his best throw of 19.82m.