India’s Tajinderpal Singh Toor falls short of Tokyo Olympics shot put final
Tajinderpal Singh Toor managed a best throw of 19.99m in qualifying. It placed him 13th out of 16th in his group. Only the top 12 across two groups make the final.
India’s Tajinderpal Singh Toor bowed out of the shot put competition at the Tokyo Olympics following a disappointing show in the qualification on Tuesday.
At the Olympic Stadium, Tajinderpal Singh Toor managed only one legal throw, measuring 19.99 metres, in his three attempts in the qualification round. The direct qualification for the final was fixed at 21.20 meters.
An athlete can qualify for the final of a field event at the Olympics by either achieving the predetermined direct qualification mark or by featuring in the top 12 performers across two qualifying groups.
Competing in Group A of the qualification round, Tajinderpal Singh Toor’s first attempt was valid. The Indian national champion followed it up with toe board violations in the following two attempts and finished 13th out of 16 in his group with his best attempt.
The group featured world champion Joe Kovacs of the USA and New Zealand’s Tomas Walsh, the bronze medallist from the 2016 Rio Olympics. Brazilian Darlan Romani and Egypt’s Mostafa Hassan, however, were the only two who breached the direct qualification mark.
Tajinderpal Singh Toor booked his place at Tokyo 2020 by setting a new national record at the fourth Indian Grand Prix in June with a 21.49m throw. The effort also broke the Asian record of 21.13 metres set by Saudi Arabia’s Sultan Abdulmajeed Al-Hebshi in 2009.
Late in June, Tajinderpal Singh Toor managed a 21.10m throw at the Inter-State championships.