Tajinderpal Singh Toor Clinches India’s Third Gold at Asian Indoor Athletics Championship
Pune, 18th Feb 2024: Tajinderpal Singh Toor, a renowned shot putter, and hurdler Jyoti Yaraji made headlines by breaking national records, while long-distance sensation Harmilan Bains dominated the track, securing three gold medals for India on the opening day of the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships held on Saturday.
Toor, a two-time Asian Games gold medalist, achieved a national indoor record with a remarkable shot put of 19.72 meters in his second attempt. His outstanding performance secured India’s third gold medal, outshining Kazakhstan’s Ivanov Ivan (19.08m) and Iran’s Mehdi Saberi (18.74m), who claimed silver and bronze medals respectively.
Meanwhile, Jyoti Yaraji improved her own national record by clocking 8.12 seconds in the women’s 60m hurdles, earning her the gold medal. Her exceptional achievement surpassed Japan’s Asuka Tereda (8.21 seconds) and Hong Kong’s Lui Lai Yiu (8:26 s), who secured second and third place respectively.
Harmilan Bains, the Asian Games silver medalist, showcased her prowess by clocking 4:29.55 seconds in the women’s 1500m, securing India’s first gold medal of the day. Her dominant performance left Kyrgyzstan’s Kalil Kaizi Anyuska trailing by five seconds, with Kazakhstan’s Bolatbekzi Ayana securing third place.
In the women’s long jump, Shaili Singh and Nayana James narrowly missed podium finishes, recording distances of 6.27m and 6.23m respectively. China’s Shiqi Xiong (6.55 m) and Tan Mengyi (6.50 m) claimed gold and silver, while Hong Kong’s Yu Nga Yan (6.35 m) secured the bronze medal.
Toor’s victory adds to India’s stellar performance at last year’s championship in Astana, where the nation clinched eight medals, including six silver and one bronze.
India’s remarkable achievements on the opening day of the Asian Indoor Athletics Championship underscore the nation’s growing dominance in the international athletics arena, setting high expectations for future competitions.
