India’s Tajinderpal Singh Toor defended his Asian Games crown by clinching a gold medal in Shotput in the ongoing Hangzhou Games.
Toor’s journey to win was not a smooth one. Starting off impressively with a powerful first throw that nearly touched the 20m mark, Toor was met with disappointment when it was ruled a no throw. His second attempt faced a similar fate. Nevertheless, his third attempt, a legitimate throw, registered a distance of 19.51m, demonstrating that he was still in the fight.
At that point in the competition, Mohamed Daouda Tolo from Saudi Arabia, who led the field with a remarkable 19.93m throw, was the one to beat. In his fourth throw, Toor confidently grabbed the gold medal position by hurling a massive 20.06m. Tolo, however, was not ready to concede and retook the lead with a 20.18m throw.
Undeterred, Toor’s fifth throw defaulted, positioning his sixth and final throw as his last chance for victory. In a thrilling finish, he recorded a mammoth throw of 20.36m, his best of the competition. Unable to match this performance, Tolo had to contend with the silver medal.
