Toor's performance at the Indian Open Throws 2023 Competition not only secured him the gold medal, but also allowed him to qualify for the Asian Games with a throw of 19.95m.
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Tajinderpal Singh Toor, the reigning Asian Games shot put champion, kicked off his domestic season with a victory at the Indian Open Throws Competition 2023 in Bellary, Karnataka. Toor had recently clinched the gold medal at the Asian Indoor Championships in Kazakhstan. He went on to defend his title at the Inspire Institute of Sports (IIS) in Bellary with a new meet record of 19.95m. Toor’s performance at the Indian Open Throws and Jumps Competition 2023 not only secured him the gold medal, but also allowed him to qualify for the Asian Games with a throw of 19.95m. He also surpassed the Athletics Federation of India’s qualifying standard of 19.00m for the men’s shot put event. Karanveer Singh, who won a silver medal at the Asian Indoor Championships, also qualified for the Asian Games with a silver medal-winning effort of 19.54m. While Sahib Singh took the bronze medal with a throw of 18.77m.
Toor started off his competition with throws of 19.57m and 19.78m before fouling on his third and fourth attempts. However, he managed to achieve his best throw of 19.95m on his fifth attempt, before ending his performance with a throw of 19.51m. At last year’s inaugural edition of the Indian Open Throws Competition in Patiala, Toor hit the 19.94m mark, which is just 0.01m short of his latest record. Manpreet Kaur, a former Asian Champion and national record holder, also qualified for the Asian Games in the women’s shot put event. She crossed the AFI’s qualifying mark of 16.30m with a throw of 16.73m. Abha Khatua captured the silver medal with a throw of 15.06m, while Kachnar Chaudhary won the bronze medal with a throw of 14.34m.
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Aside from the shot put, the Indian Open Throws Competition also held events in the discus throw, hammer throw, and javelin throw competitions for both men and women. The men’s javelin throw event, in the absence of Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, was won by Kishore Jena with a throw of 78.93m, securing his qualification for the Asian Games as the entry standard was set at 78.23m for men’s javelin throwers. Meanwhile, Karishma Sanil won the women’s javelin throw event with a throw of 47.60m, as Commonwealth Games and Asian Games bronze medallist Annu Rani did not compete. In the discus throw events, Manjeet won the men’s event with a throw of 51.24m, while Kalavathi Basappa Teli claimed the women’s event with a throw of 44.83m. Yuvraj Jakhar emerged victorious in the men’s hammer throw competition with a throw of 52.69m, while Rekha won the women’s hammer throw event with a throw of 54.44m. The Jumps competition will be taking place today with CWG medalists Eldhose Paul, Abdulla Aboobacker, and long jumper Jeswin Aldrin set to feature.
Read more: Indian Open Throws and Jumps Competition 2023: Full Schedule
